After the Storm
by catchmeinwonderland
Summary: This sequel to "Storming Sky" follows Danielle (Cullen) Black as she navigates her new life as a vampire. She has a lot of questions that need answering, and she just hopes that life as an immortal will be better for her than her human life was. Unfortunately, some storms don't seem to end when you want them to.
1. Vampire

VAMPIRE

When I was thirteen, I had appendicitis. It started out a small, dull pain, and quickly over the course of an hour or so turned into the worst pain I had ever experienced. I was sitting in my small class of about ten students at a school in Denali when it happened. The teacher immediately called the school nurse, and the school nurse called an ambulance. I went to the hospital and my father was waiting for me in the ER. I was in surgery within an hour, and the stabbing pain was gone.

This was nothing like that. This was much, much worse.

My body was engulfed in flames, and I felt like I was dying, but couldn't let myself go. I kept hearing voices, but couldn't make anyone's out in particular. The voices kept telling me that it was going to be okay, that I was okay, but I didn't care. I wasn't okay. I was in excruciating pain.

It felt like my Jacob when he was hurt last summer. Every one of my bones being broken and reset. Even then, I didn't think that hurt as much as this did.

"I'm so sorry," Someone apologized. "I'm so, so sorry." _Yeah, you should be._

I was pretty sure most of the pain in my throat came from screaming. How Bella was silent during her transformation was baffling. Now I knew why they all thought she was dead. The screaming didn't make anything better, but it gave me something to focus on. Something other than my skin melting and bones breaking.

I wanted to die. I wanted Demetri to come and snap my neck like he did Ryan. I wanted this fire to pick up so that I would burn away like whomever that was in the clearing. I wanted this pain to end.

 _Ryan_. That poor, poor boy. Aro must have figured him out. They must have been torturing him for information on me or something. This was all my fault. I should have stayed away from him. _There you go Dani,_ I thought to myself. _Add emotional turmoil to this painful mess you're in._

Death couldn't come quickly enough. _Please, whoever is out there, just end this already!_ I pleaded.

"It's okay," someone responded. "Shh…it'll be okay, baby." _No, this is definitely_ not _okay!_

"Just relax, Danielle. It'll all be over soon," someone promised. "It will all be over soon."

* * *

I went back to screaming when the fire left my limbs and went straight for my chest. Had my limbs already been burnt off? I didn't realize burning alive took this long. I could hear not only voices, but footsteps and breathing. It was incredibly strange. I tried to focus on someone who was breathing beside me. As the flame melted my insides their breathing calmed me.

"Carlisle," the voice said, strained. He sounded like he had been crying.

"It's almost over, Jacob," the other voice said. _Jacob._

My Jacob. My brave, brave Jacob. What was he going to think of all of this? I tried to remember the events that brought me here. Was he mad at Emily for letting me go? Do they all know what happened? Do they care?

Poor, poor Jacob. He didn't ask for this. He asked for a normal life. He wanted something normal so badly, and I tried so hard to give that to him. I failed him. He was the one person I was supposed to risk everything for, and I failed him.

"Shh…don't cry baby. It's almost over," Jacob said, grabbing my hand. His hand was too warm. _Don't do that_ , I couldn't move to pull my hand away. _Please let go._ His grip was uncomfortable. I panicked. Was it because of the fire, or because of the transition? Would I not be able to stand touching my own boyfriend if I was a vampire?

"Jacob, let go of her hand," someone directed, and I was grateful, even though it sparked a fight between the two of them.

* * *

"Carlisle, something's happening!" Jake said, panicking and a heard of people rushed in.

"Ah," someone said. "It's almost over."

"Soon," another chirpy voice agreed. I groaned. _Please let this be over. Please just let me die already_.

"She's going to be different, Jacob," another voice warned. "Things might be different for a little while."

"Bella was fine," Jacob argued, growling. _Please don't fight._

"Only time will tell," someone pacified.

As if it were possible, the fire in my chest heated up. It was like someone threw another round of logs on the fire, just to torture me some more before my death. My heart took off, beating faster than any human heart should. I thought it was going to break through my ribs and fly away. _Get it out!_ I screamed. I felt people come and take my hands. I must have been moving or something. _Get it out!_ My back arched in pain. This was awful. This was worse than the fire itself. This was torture.

"This is the last part, sweetie," someone promised, stroking my hair. _Please stop touching me_ , I groaned. There was enough going on with my body right now. I kept screaming.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the pain went away. My heart stopped, but I wasn't dead. The transition was complete.

* * *

"Dani? Can you open your eyes, love?" Someone asked. I was afraid to. This was officially new territory for me. I was afraid of what I would see.

"It's okay, we're all right here little darlin'," someone comforted – _Jasper_. He and Alice were back. That's right. I felt like I should be breathing, but I didn't need to. Everything was so uncomfortable.

I opened my eyes and was shocked at how clear and bright everything was. I could taste the air through my breath, which kind of freaked me out. I could see the dust in the air. The smells in the room were just…well, some of them were nice. I recalled the familiar lily and lilac smell of my family home, but there were other smells layered on top of that. One of them being a disgusting wet dog smell. I knew who that belonged to.

Someone chuckled, and I was aware of those sitting around me. There were so many people, and I panicked, running – unnecessarily fast – to an open corner. My back was to the corner, and everyone else was huddled on the other side.

"It's okay, Danielle," Dad stepped forward. "I know it can be disorientating, but you're alright."

I couldn't stop looking around. Every time someone shifted, and felt like I was about to be attacked. I was confused. _This is your family, Danielle_ , I told myself. _They won't hurt you._

I remembered the fire. _They did._

Jacob was leaned over the bed, his arm still reached out. He looked hurt that I couldn't figure anything out, but I couldn't help that.

Jasper and Emmett were in the front of the family with my father. Just like there was danger. I was the danger to them. I remembered then, the fire at the clearing. Someone died. I tried to count who was here, but they were huddled so close that I couldn't.

"Babe, relax," Jacob said, standing up and moving over to me, but someone stopped him before I could escape. His heart was beating, but the blood didn't matter to me. _My Jacob_ , I thought to myself. He was still my Jacob. I swallowed. Was this disorientation and confusion my life now?

"It'll get easier," Edward said, stepping away from the clump.

"I'm a vampire now?" I asked, and I was surprised at my own voice. I didn't sound like me. My voice was higher, and more put together. The words sounded like they came from an instrument rather than a human. I reached for my neck. I didn't like this.

"Yes, I changed you," Dad said. "I can explain everything to you, sweetheart, once you settle in." I tried to remember what happened in the clearing, but it was fuzzy. I remember Aro standing over me, and I remember trying to avoid giving him my hand. I remember the fire and I remember Demetri, but when did Dad change me?

"You don't have to worry about that now," Edward stepped in, reading my mind. Part of me was annoyed, and another part of me was grateful. He was helping me make sense of everything.

I looked around again. I was in my bedroom. I recognized the white furniture and the white walls. I decorated the room with my mom when we first moved in. We put round gold stickers on the ceiling to help make it seem more homie. I tried to focus on the stickers.

"How are you feeling, Danielle?" Dad asked again, trying to redirect my attention.

"We're going to take you hunting soon," Jasper announced. My eyes darted over to him. _Jasper._ For some reason, I couldn't latch onto the fact that they were back. Alice was standing behind him, beaming. Were they staying? Was the danger gone?

"Everything has been sorted out," Edward confirmed, coming in clutch again with the mind reading. "Everyone is home, and everyone is safe. You're our only concern right now."

"Danielle, how do you feel?" My dad pushed again.

"Weird. Distracted. Confused," I started throwing out adjectives that described what I was going through. Luckily dead and burning weren't necessary options anymore.

"Doc," Jake said strained from where he had been abandoned earlier. I looked over to him and smiled.

"Let her come to you, Jacob," Jasper directed. Was I that out of control?

"You're doing remarkably well, Dani, we just don't want to overwhelm you," Edward answered.

"I have a record to beat," I joked. A few people looked around uncomfortably. I knew I wasn't going to be as good of a newborn as Bella was. Bella had prepared for this. I didn't get to make a decision for myself. It was going to be harder for me, I knew that.

"Can I hug him?" I whispered quietly, gesturing towards Jacob? I prayed that touch wouldn't feel the same way now that I was done transitioning. That his warm skin wouldn't burn me the same way it had before.

"You can do whatever you feel comfortable doing," Dad encouraged. I took a few steps and found myself walking far faster than I expected. This was not a human pace. I stopped immediately.

"Take it slow, Dani," Mom encouraged, stepping out from behind Emmett. "You're doing great. I felt like I was a baby taking her first steps. I wouldn't be surprised if Mom pulled out the video camera.

"Hi," I smiled, when I finally got to Jacob. He chuckled.

"You're going to be the death of me, Danielle Black," he said, using my married name. I got up on my tip toes and reached up to kiss him. His touch wasn't burning and it wasn't uncomfortable. I placed my arms around his shoulders and kissed him.

"Come on, Dani. You have to know how bad he smells by now," Emmett joked from behind. I spun around too fast and Jake hissed in pain.

"Oh my God, Jake!" I cried out. Did I hurt him? Jasper rushed over to where I was, and Dad rushed over to Jacob.

"It's fine, I'm fine," He said, adjusting his neck. "I'm still in recovery," he mumbled.

"Recovery? Recovery from what?" I demanded. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. He must have forgotten that I can hear everything now.

"I'll explain later. You have to go eat," he redirected.

"Are you coming?" I asked him. I didn't really want to leave him.

"Not this time," Jasper answered. "This is a brother/sister bonding trip," he smiled.

"Are all three of you coming?" I complained. Emmett shook his head.

"Nah, just Eddie and Jazz," He answered. "You're too good at this, Dani."

"It doesn't feel that way…" I trailed. My throat hurt and I was still distracted by every little thing. If I focused on any one thing for too long, I panicked. I couldn't control myself, and it was aggravating.

"It gets easier. It's only been a little while," Edward encouraged. "Come on, we're going to go hunt, and then we'll fill you in on everything."


	2. The Hunt

THE HUNT

"Are you sure we're far enough?" I asked my brothers. Edward stopped us, but it didn't feel like we had been running for that long.

"There are no humans here, Dani. We'll stop you if anything happens," Edward comforted. Jasper was searching the area himself as well. They weren't going to let anything happen.

"It's clear," Jasper told Edward. "This goes against _everything_ I believe in as an older brother," he shook his head.

"You've been saying I need to toughen up," I teased him. "Time for me to prove myself, I guess," I said hesitantly.

"It's all instinctual," Edward said from behind me. "Just close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you."

I heard _everything_ , and it was overwhelming, to say the least. I could hear everything from the staggered breaths of my brothers to the clicking of ants as they wasted their lives away.

"There's so much," I complained, getting frustrated. "What am I supposed to be listening for?"

"Focus. When you hear it, you'll know," Jasper coached. I listened harder, as if that were possible. I listened to the way the wind hit the trees and the grass. I listened to water flowing. I followed the sound of the river until I heard what I had been waiting for. The sound of a beating heart.

I took off, not even waiting for direction. It was instinctual, like Edward said. I was the predator now.

Finally, what I heard came into sight – and into smell. I could not only hear the heartbeat, but smell the blood pulsing through its veins. It was a black bear. Human Dani would have been terrified to go any closer. Vampire Dani didn't care. I was faster and I was stronger than this bear, and I knew it.

I ran forward and attacked the bear from behind. I wrapped my arms around its neck and bit into it, tasting the savory blood for the first time. I wasn't expecting it to taste good, but it did. The blood ran down my throat and soothed the burning that had previously occupied the area. It was like when my dad used to have me suck on ice cubes when I had a sore throat. It didn't make it go away, but it made the pain bearable – no pun intended.

The bear tried to put up a fight, but failed. Even if it did sink its teeth into me, it couldn't hurt me. Not like I could hurt it. It wiggled and roared, trying to get away, but eventually it gave up and gave in. As the blood drained out of the creature, my humanity began to wash away the instinctual responses. I started to feel again.

I wondered for a moment if the bear felt the burning venom the same way I had. If I had caused the bear pain, or if it was a quick enough death that it didn't matter.

"Well done, Dani," Jasper said from behind me, smiling. I turned around to see Edward and Jazz standing on a nearby rock, a mix of horror and pride across their faces.

"It was a quick death, Dani," Edward resolved. "You did extraordinarily well. We were trying to get you to go towards a herd of Deer nearby, but you found the bear instead. All on your own, too. Fantastic job."

As Edward was finishing speaking, I heard sticks crack in the distance. We had begun to walk away from the bear, but I made the mistake of turning back. When I did, I saw two baby cubs nudging their mother. The guilt and grief hit me like a ton of bricks, and I fell to the ground.

"Dani!" Jazz called, shaking my shoulder. "What happened?" He tried to help me control my emotions, but he couldn't get a hold on them. I was somewhere between angry and devastated.

"It's nature, Dani," Edward tried to console me. "They'll be okay."

"I killed their mom, Edward," I growled. "I orphaned them."

"It happens. It happens when you eat a hamburger," Edward explained.

"It happens," I mocked him, standing up and pacing. Jasper panicked, and I pushed him away. "It happens when you kill an animal, it happens when you eat a hamburger, it happens when you step on an ant, it happens when you try to eat and make the pain go away, it happens when you get in a damned car!" I shouted, likely scaring off any other chances of sustenance I had.

"You're the predator now, Dani. This is how you survive," Jasper tried to encourage. He was still sending me waves of calm, and I took a few deep breaths, trying to ground myself.

"I hate this," I whispered, suddenly realizing the gravity of what I was. The constant pain, the emotional turmoil, the confusion, the overwhelming senses, the killing…what _was_ I?

"Dani," Edward stepped in, making me look at him. "Dani, listen to me," he said. "You are less than a day old. Your only experience with newborns was Bella, and she had enough preparation and is gifted enough that she will never have to struggle like the rest of us had to. You haven't seen how much work it takes to get to where we are. That's why we're here with you, to help you. You will get there. You will be able to ignore the pain, you will learn how to control your emotions and weed out the constant input from your heightened senses. We will not let you hurt anyone, and just like you don't think about an animal's life when it's on the dinner table, you will learn to think of hunting for blood as second nature."

"I don't want this," I panicked. "I made a mistake."

"You're okay," Jasper encouraged. "We're going to help you."

"You say that, you keep saying that, but how can you? How can you help me? I'm a mess, I'm a-"

"Did you want to die?" Edward asked harshly, cutting me off. Jasper gave him a look, but he continued.

"Did you want to die?" Edward repeated. "Because you're the one who told me that you would rather be a vampire than lose us, and on that clearing, we're the ones who decided to risk having you hate us forever rather than losing you. If you've changed your mind, if you wanted to die, just say the word-"

"Edward," Jasper warned, but Edward shook his head.

"No, say it, Dani. Say it, because I know as hard as this is, you're not one to give up. You're not a quitter, and you didn't want to die. This might not have been your first choice, but it was a sacrifice you were willing to make. This isn't a mistake, Dani. This is your life. You can take pity on yourself all you want, but don't pretend like you weren't willing to become a vampire."

"I didn't know-"

"You didn't, and now you do. You're one of us now, Dani, and it's not going to be easy. There is a lot we've kept from you. You'll learn, and you'll grow stronger. Mentally, emotionally, everything will pass away. This is the hardest part, but you have to trust us. You have to trust that we're going to get you through this if we have to lock you in a cellar and feed you through water bottles," Edward declared. Jasper nodded.

"He's right, Dani. You've got a hell of a lot more than any other vampires I know," Jasper agreed.

"With great power comes great responsibility, I guess," I muttered to myself. Edward was right. This was something I was willing to do. I could be angry at the situation all I wanted, but it wasn't going to change who I was. I _didn't_ want to die. I wasn't ready to die yet. If it meant I needed to kill some black bears, I'd do it. I wouldn't like it, but I'd do it.

After a lifetime of being the prey, I was the predator now. It wasn't an easy job, but it was necessary. _Everything is going to be fine_ , I reminded myself, and Edward nodded.

"Are you ready to tackle that herd of Elk now?" Jasper smirked, trying to lighten the mood. I nodded.

"Let's do this," I smiled, and we ran off.


	3. Waterfalls

WATERFALLS

We were taking a break from hunting for a little while. I had taken down the bear, and almost an entire herd of Elk before Edward and Jasper stopped me. They said that taking breaks during hunting was important in order to maintain control.

"I thought the whole point of hunting was so that we didn't have to control ourselves for a little while?" I complained. I wanted more. I was satiated, but never satisfied. Was this my life now?

"Unfortunately, yes," Edward answered. "That's why control is important, even when hunting."

I groaned. I just wanted more blood. The grief from earlier was long gone by now. I had tasted the sweet nectar that kept all living things alive, and I wanted more of it.

"Relax, Dani," Edward cautioned. "We'll get more later. We want to show you something, first," he smiled.

I followed my brothers through the woods. While I was following them, I got to get a good look at them for the first time. Even after only a few hours, focusing on one particular thing at a time was becoming much easier. If I focused, I didn't feel as overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, I focused on the wrong thing – Jasper's scars. I watched the crescent moons travel up and down his body. They covered his neck and his arms. If I traced them, he would have more marker showing on his body than skin. It was terrifying.

I remembered the story that he told Bella and me, back when our biggest problem was the newborn army. After going through the transition myself, feeling that pain, I couldn't imagine going through that a thousand times. I couldn't imagine anything that would be worth all of that.

"Hopefully you'll never have to go through that again," Edward mentioned. I nodded. I hoped so too.

* * *

"Where are we going?" I asked them.

"You're so impatient," Jasper teased.

"I want to go home," I complained. Actually, I wanted more blood, but since I couldn't have that, I just wanted to go home and be with Jacob. I wanted answers. I wanted to see my family that up until yesterday I thought would all be dead by now.

"Soon," Edward promised. "We just want to show you this one last thing, and then we're going to hunt one last time on the way back. Then you can see Jacob."

"Thank you," I told him. He looked about as thrilled to be here as I was. He probably wanted to see his daughter.

"There's nothing to thank, Danielle," Edward told him. "You're braver than any of us, standing up to Aro like that."

"I didn't have much of a choice," I remembered. His vile face popped up in my head and I shuddered. Hopefully he would leave us alone now that Bella and I were both immortal. I never wanted to see him again.

"Still," Jasper said. "It scared _us_."

"I don't want to talk about it," I whispered softly, jumping onto the first log I could find and pretending it was a balance beam. I knew that my transformation was far less traumatic than some of my siblings, but I didn't like the feelings that came with the memories. I didn't like remembering the pain or the fear. The desperation to try to save everyone, and the pressure that came with it. I didn't want to think about it.

"Danielle, come back down here," Edward smiled, gesturing to another path. I smirked. Instead of jumping down, I just jumped to a nearby tree, still following their path.

"You need to come down to see what we're seeing," Jasper complained. "Don't make me come up there," he warned.

"Yeah, we don't have to go easy on you anymore," another voice called. I didn't recognize the voice, and it freaked me out. I went on high alert mode before I could recognize who the intruder was. I spun around and lunged at the creature before being pinned to the ground in seconds.

"I have _always_ wanted to do that!" The voice cheered, and the others were laughing. "Come on, try me again little sister," he taunted. It wasn't until he called me little sister and I looked up to see his face that I recognized who it was.

"What the fuck, Emmett?" I yelled at him, pushing him off of me. I was terrified at myself for how easily I attacked him, but more terrified at the fact that I couldn't recognize my own brother's voice.

"Your hearing is different now. Everything sounds off, because you can hear more clearly, especially from close by. You weren't expecting him, so you weren't prepared. It was a test, of sorts," Edward smirked.

"You knew he was going to do this?" I groaned. I was going to kick Emmett's ass the next chance I got.

"Of course we knew," Jasper smirked. "We wanted to see if you'd catch on or not."

"I'm gonna crush you all," I grumbled under my breath, and got up out of the dirt. Emmett tried to help me up, but I pushed him away, growling. It only made him laugh harder, so I turned around and shoved him as hard as I could into a neighboring tree. He wasn't expecting that, so he didn't stop himself, and caused the tree to fall over.

"Alright, enough you two," Jasper called it off. "There'll be time for fighting later." Jasper looked at me. "I'm going to place my hands over your eyes, so don't get freaked out and attack me, okay? You _will_ lose," he challenged. I growled at him. I could take him.

"No, you couldn't," Edward chuckled. "He'd pin you down faster than Emmett did. You wouldn't stand a chance," he smiled. Jasper raised his hands, and put them over my eyes. I felt strangely uncomfortable once he did it. I became instantly anxious and tensed, even knowing that the creatures around me were my brothers and I wasn't in any danger.

"Relax, Dani," Jasper encouraged. "You're doing great. Start walking forwards," he guided. I could feel the calm radiating from his hands to my body. I knew why it was him that was lucky enough to blind me. One, he probably could take me down if I decided to attack him. Two, he could control my emotions better through physical touch.

I did as he said and began to walk forward. Edward was in front of us, and Emmett was behind. I followed Edward's voice as he gave me instructions on where to step. He was right, now that I couldn't see him, his voice sounded different. I wouldn't have recognized him either.

I took a step forward and stumbled a little bit, hissing. Jasper pulled me back so I was against his chest, and was prepared to restrain me. The calm continued.

"She's a feisty one," Emmett teased from behind.

"You'd be wise to stop talking Emmett," Jasper scolded. "I'll let her loose on you again."

"I'm not some animal," I growled. I didn't like the way they were talking about me.

"Sorry," they apologized. It really didn't make me feel much better. I was still me, right? I wasn't some caged animal. I could control myself. I _would_ control myself. I felt remorse for killing the mother bear earlier, so I was still human, right?

"You're still you," Edward promised. "You just need to get used to being a little different now. That's not a bad thing," he encouraged. I could feel Jasper nod behind me.

"Okay, I'm going to take my hands off of you, alright?" Jasper asked. I nodded. He took his hands off and I couldn't help but stare at the sight around me.

It was the same waterfall my brothers had taken me to countless times during our stay in Forks. Last summer, I took Jake here, just to let him in on that piece of my life.

It was different, now. I was here with my brothers, just like always, but the waterfall changed. Once, it was extraordinary, with water flowing down the mountainside, splashing on the rocks as it raced down. Now, it was magical. I could not only see the surface of the water, but I could see the particles. I could see the rocks behind the water and I could see the small fish swimming in the river.

I hesitantly walked over to the edge, and unlike when I was human, my brothers didn't stop me. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore. The water couldn't hurt me. I ran my fingers through the liquid, and it felt warm. I knew from my experience as a human that the water was actually freezing, but I guess now the water and I were the same temperature.

"It's pretty cool, right?" I heard Emmett whisper. I could have sworn he was right beside me, but I when I looked up, he was standing with Jasper and Edward by the trail.

"We thought you could use some normal in your life for a little bit. Plus, humans come in and out of here all the time, so we wanted you to get used to the smell," Jasper explained. I had barely noticed the smell. My sight was hogging my sensory input at the moment. Jasper's thoughts inspired me to take a whiff of the air. It was a strange scent.

I smelled the sweet honey scent of my brothers, of course, but the burning also returned. I could smell different humans who had crossed this trail before us. One of the scents was fairly new, and I had the urge to follow it, but knew that that probably wasn't a good idea right now. I could smell the different woodland creatures that had stopped here to take a drink. There was a whole other understanding of this place, just by tapping into my different senses.

"Are you ready to head back home?" Edward asked. I looked over at him, nodding.

* * *

I stopped suddenly, right before we crossed the river to get back to the house.

"Was Jacob really okay with this?" I asked worried. I hadn't thought much about my husband since being out here, but I couldn't help remembering our conversations we had pre-transformation. I knew he said he would love me no matter what, but when would his natural instinct kick in? Would mine kick in?

"Jacob made the call," Edward confirmed. I stared at him in shock. _Jacob_ was the one who told Dad to change me?

"He was begging to have you changed. He didn't want to live without you. He was terrified. I think that what you two have goes above and beyond instinct and imprinting. You have nothing to worry about," Edward said. Jasper and Emmett nodded.

"He must have been losing his mind," I mused, running my fingers through the water again. At least when I saw Jacob in that much pain, I knew it was for the better. I knew he was in good hands, and he was going to be okay. I couldn't imagine watching him be tortured and then not know if he was going to live or not. Poor, poor Jacob.

"He's losing his mind right now, not being here with you," Emmett added, earning some growls from Edward and Jasper. Clearly, they were trying to keep that from me.

"Did he want to come?" I asked. The boys nodded.

"He was pissed when Carlisle said he couldn't. He's still-" Emmett was going to continue, but Jasper stopped him.

"He's still what?" I asked them. I tried to remember what Jacob said before, about him being in recovery. "What happened to him?"

"We had to hold him back when they were…you know," Emmett explained. The wolves couldn't do it on their own, but they laid some good bites into him. I had to step in…"

"He was hurt?" I exclaimed. Jasper came closer, hands raised. I was in freak out mode.

"He's fine now, he just has some broken bones that still need to heal up," Edward finished Emmett's explanation for him. "It was more of a precaution than anything. Plus, we figured you'd want privacy for your first run."

"He's my husband," I complained. "I don't need privacy from him."

"Would you have wanted him to see you break down like you did earlier over the bear?" Jasper pointed out. _Shit, he's right_ , I thought to myself. I didn't want Jacob to ever see me like that. Especially over a damn bear.

"Come on, everything will be fine," Edward promised. I nodded. It had to be.

I was getting ready to jump over the river before Emmett came up behind me and threw me in. I crashed to the bottom before swimming back up. All three of the boys were laughing, and I could hear laughter coming from the house.

"Welcome to vampire life, little sis!" Emmett cheered, _proud_ of himself for being able to sneak up behind me. I glared at him. _It's on, Emmett Cullen._


	4. Brothers and Sisters

Jacob was waiting for me in the yard, of course. I'm not surprised he was there to see my hazing take place.

"Of course you were there to see that," I muttered once we were back in the yard. He was trying not to laugh. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper zoomed past us, done with the babysitting for now.

"I missed you," He said. He looked good. He didn't look injured, like my brothers had said.

"I missed you too," I told him, going up to him and then hesitating.

"You _can_ kiss me, you know," he told me, smiling. "I don't mind."

"I don't want to hurt you," I whispered, looking down at my feet.

"I'm a lot less fragile than you think," Jake told me, taking my hands. He was a lot warmer than I remembered him. "I'm stronger than a human, remember? You can still take me out if you want to, but one kiss and one hug isn't going to do me in," he leaned forward and kissed me. I kissed him back, and loved every minute of it.

"Oh my God," I gasped, pushing away. Jake rubbed his shoulders.

"What?" He asked, looking concerned, but also slightly annoyed. Inside, my body guards peaked out from the windows, wondering what the outburst was for. If I was a human, I would have blushed with embarrassment.

"Can we still have sex?" I whispered, hoping my family wouldn't hear. The booming laugh that followed my question told me that they had.

"We better be able to still have sex," Jake expressed. I chuckled.

"My control isn't really at a good place right now, my emotions are all over the place, I wouldn't be able to control my strength or anything," I tried to convince him.

"Okay, so no sex until you get your control back," Jake compromised. "But then, lots and lots of epic fuckery," he joked, pecking me on the lips and pulling me back to him. I rolled my eyes and kissed him back.

"Hey, love birds!" Emmett teased from the porch. I growled at him.

"What do you want, Emmett?" I groaned. Jake looked over at him in annoyance as well.

"Not to have to look out of the window to see you two going at it," he complained. "Plus, Nessie's been asking about you. She hasn't seen you since…well, you know. Bella wants to know if you're up for visitors. She just called."

"Of course they can come over," I complained. I forgot all about Renesmee. I couldn't imagine seeing something so dreadful at such a young age. Well, actually, I could, but I hated the thought of my niece having to go through that. I wanted to show her that I was okay.

Jake and I walked into the house, and everyone started staring. Rosalie and Alice were going through magazines, and Jasper and Emmett were downstairs playing video games. Mom and Dad were off hunting now that they knew I was being taken care of. They probably hadn't gone for a while.

"Guys, I'm fine," I complained. "There are literally no humans around, and as long as I don't get thrown into the river again, I don't think I'll kill anyone. I feel _good_ ," I promised. Jake squeezed my hand.

"It's a tough transition," Rosalie explained. "You're doing very well, Dani. You're very strong."

"Strong? I'm a hot mess right now," I quipped. She shook her head.

"When I became a vampire, all I wanted to do was kill the men in my life who had hurt me. I've never tasted human blood, but I still killed people out of vengeance. You're able to think rationally and be yourself," she smiled. "Most of the time, at least," she shrugged, then turned back to her magazines. Based on my breakdowns from earlier I thought that I was failing at all of this, but the affirmation from my sister really helped to boost my confidence in my new self. That is, until I tripped going up the stairs, properly breaking the handrail and one of the stairs in the process.

"What the hell?!" I yelled, and Jasper and Emmett came rushing up from the basement. Both of them were chuckling. I was pissed. I could feel Jasper sending me calm waves. Jake, who was right behind me on the stairs, was backing up slowly.

"What happened?" Jasper asked, looking at the mess.

"I was just going up the stairs!" I complained. "I thought my coordination was supposed to get _better_ when I became a vampire?"

"Maybe you're just defective," Emmett shrugged, and I lunged at him. Again, he pinned me to the floor quickly, but not without breaking some of the floorboards.

"Enough!" Rosalie yelled. "Esme is going to have both of your heads!" She sped out of the room. I was still pinned under Emmett's arm, growling.

"You've properly destroyed that dress, Danielle," Alice grumbled from her spot on the couch. By now, it was ripped in at least ten places. It wasn't even held together enough for it to be used as stray fabric.

"Can I let you up, or are you going to attack me again?" Emmett asked, teasing me.

"Emmett," Jasper warned, sensing how frustrated I was getting. I wasn't a fucking child.

"Please kind 'sir, may you allow me to raise myself off of this floor?" I mocked him. It only made him laugh harder. I banged my head against the floor, causing further damage. I was really sick of this.

"Emmett, just let her up," Jasper smirked, and Emmett released me, offering me a hand. I glared at him and got up on my own. He was on my shit list today.

"You better give her some space, brother," Edward smiled from the hallway. He had returned with his wife and daughter, who were coming in behind him. Renesmee tried to run to me, but Edward scooped her up into his arms, making her whine.

"What the hell happened in here?" Bella asked when she came in, taking in the scene. I just rolled my eyes and sped upstairs. Completely and totally embarrassed. _So much for being in control_ , I thought to myself.

* * *

As soon as I was finished changing, but before I went back downstairs, Alice knocked on the door.

"You can come in, Alice," I told her. I was just throwing my hair up quickly. As soon as I saw the sad, disappointed look on her face I knew what kind of conversation we were about to have, and I had totally forgotten that this was in our future.

"Shit, Alice, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was happening, we were just all gonna die and-"

"There's nothing to forgive," she smiled. "I just wanted to congratulate you in person."

"Wait…" I said, shocked at the hug she gave me. I thought Alice was going to have my head for getting married without her. "You're okay with this?"

"Oh, certainly not!" She laughed. "Because of those stupid wolves involved, namely your – ugh, _husband_ – I couldn't see one damn thing!" She complained. I looked at her confused. So why was she smiling and congratulating me?

"I don't understand," I told her, shaking my head. She smirked.

"We're going to throw you a Bachelorette party!" Alice cheered. My eyes widened.

"No," I emphasized, and began to walk out, but Alice blocked me, her expression challenging.

"You denied me the ability to be at your wedding," she pouted. "The least you can do to make up for it is to let me throw you a traditional bachelorette party!"

"I'm not a bachelorette!" I complained. "I am _happily_ married and Jake will literally kill any 'Magic Mike' that comes into this house! Not to mention I'd probably kill them myself since I haven't figured out how to turn off being a vampire yet!"

"It won't be like that," Alice giggled. "Just you, me, Bella, Rosalie, and a night out. It will be good for you!"

"That idea is the most terrifying thing I have ever heard, and I almost died last week," I deadpanned. "No, Alice," I finalized.

"Don't you love me?" She pouted. I groaned. She wasn't going to let me out of this.

"I love you very much, but I don't want a party!" I told her. Her puppy dog eyes grew. I groaned, realizing this was a fight I was _not_ going to win.

"We can kick the boys out and take the house for our own, but I don't want to leave. You, Bella, and Rosalie and that is _it_ ," I warned. Alice clapped.

"We're going to have so much fun!" She screeched. Her high-pitched voice would have hurt a human, but it was absolutely cringing for a vampire when she did that.

"You're lucky I missed you," I told her, and she pulled me into a hug.

"Edward told me what you were thinking during that time," Alice confessed, getting serious again. "I'm so sorry I ever made you feel like I didn't love you or want you to be a part of my life."

"I understand it now, Alice. You were just trying to help," I told her. "There's nothing to forgive," I echoed her words from earlier.

"So we'll be even after this party, right?" She suggested, biting her lip and smirking. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, we'll be even," I chuckled.


	5. Frustration

FRUSTRATION

I tried to hold my breath for as long as possible when I was around Renesmee. As soon as she saw me, she jumped out from behind Seth and before anyone could stop her she ran over and leaped into my arms. I tensed immediately and stopped breathing.

I could handle myself around Jake. I could hear his heart beating and it sounded appealing, but the smell radiating off of him reminded me of broccoli. It may _look_ good, but the smell was enough to keep me away from ever wanting to try it. I was expecting Renesmee to be a similar situation. Bella never had a problem being around her, so I thought I would be fine. Everyone seemed to think that I would be fine around her, so I didn't worry.

Needless to say, I didn't prepare myself for the idea that Renesmee could smell so _good._ It was like the smell of desert, but there was another sweet tinge to it. Like Jacob, there was something about her that made me not want to eat her, but it wasn't bad. She smelt like a vampire. It was strange. Still, I panicked and decided that breathing was not going to happen today. I would not risk taking a bite out of my brother's daughter.

"You're doing great, Dani," I heard someone encourage. Renesmee was looking at me curiously. I hardly recognized myself, so I could only imagine what was going through her head. In true Renesmee fashion, however, she didn't hesitate to show me.

I looked terrible. My hair was ratted and there was blood seeping through my pants and my sweatshirt. My head was bleeding too. My arm was not bending the way it was supposed to, and, through Renesmee's memories, I could hear the various cries coming from my family. Renesmee was fixated on Jacob in particular, and how the pack was struggling to hold him back.

Through Renesmee's eyes, I saw Dad bite into my neck and I fell to the ground screaming. I didn't realize how loud and piercing my screams were. Edward yelled something at Bella, but Renesmee didn't pick up on it because she was too invested in what was going on with me. Bella wrapped Renesmee in her arms and took her out of the clearing, bringing her back to the cottage. She showed me how sad Edward looked, and how she kept asking about me, but no one gave her a straight answer.

She went as far as to show me a snippet of my human life. One of the rare moments we all had together before all hell broke loose. Renesmee was supposed to be focusing on Edward who was trying to teach her piano, but she was too focused on me. I was trying to get Jacob to dance, and he was being stubborn. I was joking and picking on him, and eventually ended up teaching Seth some moves. Jake eventually cut in, and we danced a little for the family. Renesmee idolized me.

The next image was of me now. A vampire. My smile was forced and I looked stressed. She wanted to know what happened, and she wanted it straight. When Renesmee finally released me from the vision, I looked at Edward.

"You can tell her whatever you want to," Edward approved. I sighed.

"You're too smart for your own good, Chomper," I Eskimo kissed her, just like I used to.

"I can call you Chomper now too," Renesmee grinned. I smirked. She wasn't wrong.

"Remember how I used to be like Grampa Charlie?" I asked her. She nodded. "Well, now I'm more like Mommy and Daddy. You can bite me all you want and it won't do any damage," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't want to bite you," Renesmee said, leaning into me. She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I loved being able to hold her like this, even though I never would have been able to as a human.

"She hasn't been sleeping well," Bella murmured, tucking a piece of hair out of Renesmee's face. I walked over to the couch and sat down with Renesmee. She had fallen asleep quickly.

"It must have been tough, watching all of that," I mused. My poor little niece. "And of course she blames herself," I whispered, remembering what Renesmee showed me. Edward nodded.

"We've tried to convince her otherwise, but she's stubborn like her mother," Edward teased. Bella just rolled her eyes.

"What did she show you?" Jake asked, finally coming back into the house. He had apparently decided to check in with Sam while I was cleaning myself up. I could tell he was purposefully not looking into my eyes, and it hurt a little bit.

"My transformation, mostly," I whispered. I didn't want to wake her up. "She showed me how different I was. I hadn't realized it."

"You're still you," Jake promised. "You just got pimped," he joked. I kicked him, then realized that I shouldn't have done that.

"It's fine, Dani," Jake groaned before I could apologize. _Great, he's probably got a bruise now_ , I thought to myself. I leaned my head back tried to calm myself down. I could feel the frustration.

"You're fine, Dani," Jasper chuckled. I shook my head. I was going to end up breaking my husband. My husband who didn't even want to look at me anymore. Damn these red eyes. Damn this whole situation.

Before I knew it, Renesmee was out of my arms. I immediately shot up and assessed the situation for danger. Jasper and Emmett were close by, and Jake had taken a step back.

"Are you seriously afraid of me right now?" I almost yelled at him. Jasper and Emmett took a step further. Bella brought Renesmee into the other room so that I wouldn't wake her up. I was a fucking monster, but at the moment, all I could feel was anger.

I didn't understand. Things had been fine between us. He _wanted_ this. _He_ was the one who decided he couldn't live without me. _He_ was the one who made the call for me to be this way. Why couldn't he follow through with it?

"Dani, relax," Jasper warned. I heard Emmett tell Jake to take a walk. This only made me even more upset.

"Do you really think I'm going to hurt him?" I cried out, now targeting Emmett. I let out another loud groan, and kicked the couch, sending it into the wall. There was a short-lived silence before Jasper came up behind me and took me by my arms. I instinctively fought him, but he was in more control than I was at the moment.

He took me outside and let me go again. I must have kicked a thousand rocks before I started to calm down. When I looked up, Mom and Dad were standing by the river, watching my temper-tantrum. They looked sad.

 _What if Renesmee was right? What if I wasn't the same person that I was before? Everyone said I was fine, everyone said I had good control, but why did I keep losing it like this?_

"Danielle," Dad said, coming up beside me. I took a few deep breaths before letting myself fall apart in his embrace. I thought that after I became a vampire the storm would be over, but I guess this is just the beginning.


	6. My Jacob

MY JACOB

"How are you feeling?" Jake asked me once things had calmed down. It was late, and Bella and Edward had taken Renesmee home. They were hoping that since we had spent the day together she would sleep for a while tonight. It was a good thing neither of them needed sleep, or they would be exhausted as well. I didn't blame the kid, but I was pretty sure at this point a newborn slept better than her.

"I'm fine," I smiled, running my fingers through his hair. "Calm," I mused. My emotions had been all over the place, but now that all of the stressors were pretty much gone, I seemed to be okay. I didn't think Jasper wanted to let me out of his sight to have some alone time with Jacob, but he needed sleep.

"We're going to have to start leaving the window open," Jake complained, rolling off the bed to open it.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. Our saving grace to having him at my house so often before was that my room only slightly smelled like vampire. My scent masked most of the smell, so it didn't bother him. I sighed. That ship sailed last week.

"I'll get used to it, I think," he grimaced. "You don't smell as bad as the others."

"I guess I'll have to add perfume to my pharmacy list," I complained, laying down on my bed. Jake rolled over and pulled a piece of hair off my face. He kissed me on my forehead.

"You have a list?" He asked, teasing.

"Perfume, contacts, make-up – you know, stuff that won't make you freak out and run off on me," I whispered. I realized after the fact that I probably shouldn't have told him, but he had a way of making it hard to lie to him. Even as a vampire.

"You don't need that shit," Jake said, playing with my hands. His touch felt weird, but in a good way. It was different from before my transition in the sense that it was much warmer now, but the emotions and comfort that flowed through physical contact with him hadn't changed. I didn't know if it was because my emotions were so wacky now, or if it was because my senses were heightened, but it seemed like he had even more of an effect on me now.

"I've seen the way you look at me, Jake. It'll be fine. I'm sure the contacts aren't _that_ bad-"

"What do you mean 'the way I look at you?'" Jake interrupted, a little upset by my accusation. I rolled my eyes. Of course he didn't notice.

"You don't look at me the same way," I told him. "I've seen red eyes before, Jake, I know how creepy they are. I don't really want to look at them either."

"You think I'm not looking at you the 'right' way or whatever it is because of your _eyes_?" Jake laughed. He was cackling, actually, and it was very annoying. He was barely looking at me at all. Why did he think my insecurities were funny?

"Baby," Jake cooed when he finally calmed himself down. He could see the frown on my face, and leaned over to kiss me. I had half a mind to bite him, but I didn't want him dead. Yet.

"Don't 'baby' me, Jake," I said, annoyed. "I know what I saw."

"Listen," he said, crawling over the bed to reach for my hands. If it weren't for the fact his touch calmed me down, I probably would have ripped them away. "I'm not looking at you differently because of your eyes, or because you're too pale, or smell bad, or whatever it is you don't feel comfortable about," he admitted. "I'm not looking at you, because – and don't take this the wrong way – your new body is sexy as hell, and I might spontaneously combust if I stare at you for too long. Never mind the fact that Edward has already warned me on _multiple_ occasions to stop – how did he word it? Oh yeah, _ogling his baby sister_. I'm trying to avoid death by big brother, not you. Your eyes are freaky, sure, but you're a ten. You've always been a ten, but like…you're an eleven out of ten now."

"Jake?" I tried to keep a straight face. He looked up at me and saw my expression, and immediately looked apologetic.

"Babe-" he started, but I stopped him, shaking my head.

"Just stop talking," I chuckled, and kissed him. Jake was a lot of things – good with words wasn't one of them. "I'm actually relieved to hear that," I confessed. "I thought…I don't know, that the imprint was breaking or something. _I_ still feel amazing when I'm with you, but I thought that since I wasn't a human anymore that you didn't feel the same way."

"Hey," Jake whispered, pulling my eyes up to meet his. His eyes didn't falter one bit, and it made me hopeful that maybe this was the truth. "Even if the imprint did break – which it won't," Jake promised, "I will _never_ leave you. You're my wife. Vampire or human, you're still my wife. In fifty, sixty, seventy years, when we still have these rocking hot bodies, you're _still going to be my wife_ ," he emphasized. I smiled.

"I knew there was a good reason I married you," I bat my eyelashes, and he chuckled. He always said what I needed to hear. He was trying to stay focused, trying to make sure that I was okay, but I could tell that he was fading fast. It was late, and he hadn't been getting much sleep lately.

"Seriously, Dani. Stop freaking out that I'm going to leave you. It's never gonna happen," he mumbled. I sighed.

"Never is a long time," I smiled, running my fingers through his hair again. "Especially for us."

"Forever and always, baby," he smiled. He was fading fast.

"Go to sleep, Jake," I whispered, kissing his shoulder. "I love you."

"mhm," He mumbled. "Love you too." He swung his arm over my body and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, his breathing evened out and I could tell he was fast asleep.

* * *

 _I get it now_ _J_ , I texted Edward. I had been watching Jake sleep for about an hour. If this was the rest of my life, I was perfectly fine. I had never experienced this before, namely because when he was sleeping I was sleeping, but also because my senses failed me. I could see the individual threads on Jake's tattoo, as well as the pores of his skin. I could hear his heart beating and the blood rushing through his body. It was all comforting.

With each pump of his heart, I was reminded that he was still alive. Each pump reminded me that he was mine forever. Every piece of him. _Forever and always_ , like he said. He was my Jacob.

 _I don't understand…,_ Edward texted me back. I smirked. _Of course you don't._

 _The whole sleeping thing. It's comforting_ , I explained to him. _I wish I had taken more time to appreciate Jacob sleeping while I was human._

 _It still would have been a much different experience,_ Edward answered. _It's the thing I miss the most about Bella being human._

 _Yeah,_ that's _what you miss the most_ , I teased him. I could picture his reaction to _that_ one.

 _Enjoy your night, Danielle,_ Edward texted back, ending the conversation. I sighed and shut my eyes, simply enjoying the sound of my love beside me. With my Jacob by my side, I could do anything.


	7. A Payback Party

A PAYBACK PARTY

I had spent the past week avoiding my dad. He had mentioned a few times that he wanted to talk to me about my transformation, but I had little to no interest in doing that. My transformation was both the most fearful and most painful moments of my life. He didn't need to know all of the gory details. I could tell by the gross amount of overcompensation that he felt badly enough as it was.

My brothers had been taking me hunting every few days, but my eyes were starting to darken up again, and the burning sensation was becoming more prominent. I absolutely hated that even Jasper could go weeks without hunting, and my threshold was about three days.

"You shouldn't push yourself, love," Dad whispered from the doorway. I had been so distracted by trying to get the damn contacts in that I didn't hear him.

"The contacts aren't that bad," I lied, thinking that was what he was referring to.

"I didn't mean the contacts," he chuckled. "I know you're trying to push yourself to go a full week without feeding. It's not good for you," he warned.

"I can do it," I growled. I didn't need him treating me like an infant.

"I would like to take you today," he offered. It caught me off guard. It was kind of an unspoken rule that Mom and Dad didn't hunt with me for now. It was a special time I got to have with my brothers. I sighed.

"Are you sure?" I asked him. "Did you talk with Jasper and Emmett? I think they were planning to take me to Canada or something."

"I'm qualified to take you to Canada, sweetheart," Dad smiled sadly. I closed my eyes briefly and turned to face him.

"You don't have to take me hunting to be honest with me, Daddy," I told him.

"On the contrary, love, _I_ shouldn't have to take _you_ hunting for _you_ to be honest with _me_ ," he admitted, coming closer to me. "I know you've been avoiding me."

"I haven't," I lied, looking down. Dad chuckled.

"You've always been a terrible liar," he smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I flinched. He immediately pulled away, hurt.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked. "Is it because I turned you?"

"I'm not afraid of you," I admitted, terrified that he would think that. I wasn't even angry anymore that he turned me. I had come to accept that it was something that had to be done. In many ways, I was starting to feel grateful. "I just…really don't want to talk about my transformation," I admitted. Dad nodded.

"I know that. No one ever really does. I was fortunate with Bella," he smiled. I growled. I didn't like being compared to her like that.

"Easy," Dad warned, realizing he hit a button. "You're my daughter, and I love you," he reminded me. "There's nothing to be jealous of."

"I'm just really tired of being compared to her," I emphasized. _I_ needed to stop comparing myself to her.

"Of course," Dad smirked. "Still, you're going to need to talk about the transformation at some point, love. You can't hold all of that pain inside of you."

"It was terrible, what else would you possibly want to know?" I asked him, a little too sharply.

"We tried using morphine, did it have any affect?" Dad asked, hopeful. I shook my head. There was no way in hell the morphine worked. It was too painful for that shit.

"I was afraid of that…Bella mentioned….but then again…." Dad went off, mumbling to himself. I had to say something to make him feel better.

"Dad, there was nothing you could have done. I was a mess. I was going to die. You saved me. My transformation was literally the worst moments of my life. It was painful, and yeah, the morphine did absolutely nothing. But this? Getting to live? Getting to spend eternity with my husband and my family? I'm not going to say it was worth it all, because these last few weeks have been pretty intense too, but maybe someday. When I have myself under control and I don't need to hunt three times a week and I'm not breaking everything. I'm sure I'll get there. The transformation, it doesn't matter anymore. There's no point sitting here and telling you all of the gory details just so you can wallow."

Dad chuckled. "You're incredibly wise, did you know that?" He looked like he wanted to pull me into a hug, but didn't want to move too quickly. I rolled my eyes and hugged him myself.

"I love you, Daddy," I told him. He hugged me a little tighter.

"I love you too," he said, then pulled away. "I'm so glad we were able to save you, and I'm so sorry that this has been so difficult. It _does_ get better," he promised. "I don't know what I would do if you weren't with us anymore. You've changed us all, sweetheart."

"I know," I smiled. "I'm glad I'm still here too."

* * *

My trip with Dad to Canada was actually a lot of fun. We went to a remote place that didn't have much trace of even human hikers. It was easier for me, even, to hunt here than where Jasper and Emmett usually took me. The only scents were the scents of things I could kill.

I think I freaked out Dad a little bit when I went for some of the bigger game, but he got used to it quickly.

 _"I should have known you wouldn't be satisfied with herbivores," he smiled. "Emmett has taught you well," he joked._

 _"Herbivores taste like-"_

 _"Don't you dare finish that sentence Danielle," Dad warned. I smiled and ran off again. I felt free here._

We came back, and Dad mentioned that he needed to go help Emmett in the garage with something before disappearing. I walked into the house, and immediately realized why he didn't want to come in.

"Surprise!" A chorus of female voices yelled. Alice was the ringleader, naturally, and came and immediately placed a sash and a crown on me. I groaned. I had forgotten that I had told Alice she could throw me a Bachelorette party.

"Happy Bachelorette Day!" Alice cheered, pulling me into a hug. I sought out Bella with my eyes and widened them, hoping she'd get my unspoken words. She laughed.

"You should know better than anyone that there is no reeling her in," Bella smiled, being the next to hug me. Rosalie came out and congratulated me as well. Mom was nowhere in sight.

"She's babysitting," Alice answered for me. "This is a sistah only party!" She cheered.

I looked around the room. It was unlike most human parties in the sense that there wasn't any food or drinks out. We didn't need all of that. I had guessed that the theme was "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," because there were rhinestones and jewels all over the place. There were some spots – such as my bedazzled chair – that I wouldn't doubt Alice put real diamonds on. Perks of being able to predict the stock market, I guess.

The television was gone, and replaced with spa supplies. There was really no way I was getting out of this.

"You'll be fine," Rosalie whispered. "Come on, Alice wrote a speech for you."

"Are you kidding me?" I muttered. Where was Jacob? How did he let this happen?

"I don't kid," Alice barked, and I immediately sat down. "Since you so kindly held your wedding – the _one_ moment I had been _patiently_ waiting for you to have since you were _six_ years old – I am holding you hostage. All. Night. Long. This is my wedding gift to you, and you will love it!"

"Did you actually see me loving it, because right now I'm not so sure," I complained, and Alice narrowed her eyes at me.

"Oh, you'll love it," she threatened.

"I love it more already," I fake smiled, truly afraid of what my sister was capable of.

"First, you will relax. These past few weeks have been difficult, and we are going to treat you like a queen tonight. We're going to paint your nails, do your hair, and give you a massage. It's going to be great. Then, we're going to share embarrassing stories about you-"

"How is that fun for me?" I interrupted.

"It's not," Alice shrugged, "But it's tradition."

"Did they even do bachelorette parties when you guys were human?" I asked Rosalie. I knew Alice was never married before Jasper, but Rosalie had been married to some other douchebag.

"Not quite in this way," Rosalie smiled. "This is much better."

"Not you too," I groaned, throwing my head back carefully. She laughed. "Bella, help me," I begged my last remaining sister. She shook her head.

"I wish I could," Bella sighed, patting me on the shoulder. "It's one night out of eternity. You'll be fine."

As soon as Bella said that, there was a knock at the door. Alice looked surprised, but no one looked afraid. I didn't hear a heartbeat, so it couldn't have been a human. Was it one of the wolves?

"They're not supposed to be here yet…" Alice grumbled, walking to the door. She opened it, and greeted the man who was outside. He was looking for Dad.

I peeked out from the living room, confused as to who would be looking for him. It wasn't uncommon that other vampires found us, and became curious. It happened several times throughout my childhood, but my mom was always quick to rush me out of sight. This seemed different, though. Alice was arguing with him.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here," Alice warned him. "You need to leave."

"Please," the man begged. "She's my daughter."

"She hasn't been your daughter in a very long time," Alice spat. I was very confused now. Who was this man talking about? Before I could think, I was moving over to the doorway. The man was definitely not a human. His eyes were as red as the blood he drank. I could recognize them in a heartbeat, though.

They were my eyes, and he was my father.


	8. Dead Beat Dad

DEAD BEAT DAD

"Dad?" I asked hesitantly, moving closer to the doorway. As soon as I spoke, the man focused on me and his eyes lit up.

"Danielle," he said, shocked that he was actually seeing me. He tried to step forward, but Alice stopped him.

"That's far enough," she spat at him. I leaned forward, but Rosalie's hands caught me.

"Are you…?" I asked, staring at his eyes. Was my dad really a vampire?

"Yes, I see they turned you as well," Dad mused, unimpressed. He turned back to Alice. "Please, Alice, let me see my daughter."

"How do you know her name?" I asked him. "What the hell is going on?" I wanted answers.

"I will explain everything, I promise," Alice told me, then turned to Bella, while still holding my dad back. "Bella, please call Carlisle," Alice directed. Bella nodded, and went to call…Dad, I guess. Alice turned back to my biological father. "And you, you need to leave before he gets here."

"You promised you weren't going to turn her," my dad hissed, getting angry. "You went back on your word."

"Circumstances changed," Alice hissed back at him. "You need to step back."

"Why are you here?" I spoke up again. My father's face fell, and Alice glanced over at Rosalie, nodding her head.

"You didn't tell her about me? Of course you didn't," the man scoffed. I was confused. "They've been lying to you, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that," I spat at him. From what I could remember, my father wasn't a good man. He hurt my mother on countless occasions. It was why we left, and it was why she died.

"I can explain everything to you, Danielle, just tell them to let me inside," he pleaded. I didn't know what to do. Bella came back in and I heard her whisper that Dad was on his way.

"I said, step back!" Alice yelled as my father tried to advance into the house. Suddenly, the boys all appeared and Jasper and Emmett were immediately at Alice's side. Edward was with Rosalie and Bella, trying to hold me back.

"Come on, Danielle, you don't need to see this," Edward encouraged. "We can take you to the cottage."

"How many times has he been here?" I asked, thinking about what my father had said. "How many times have you lied to me?" I felt betrayed. Had my father been looking for me this entire time?

"I promise we can explain everything, but you need to leave. Having you here with him is not going to end well for anyone," Rosalie tried to persuade me. I tried to pull away, but even with my newborn strength the three of them had more power over me.

I was distracted. Between my thoughts running wild and the arms around me, the yelling coming from the doorway, and the confusion over the whole situation, I couldn't think straight.

"Dani, we're going to help you move, please don't attack us," Edward explained. I could feel them push me towards the back door, but I couldn't take my eyes away from the front. There was no denying that the man was my father. He was exactly how I remembered him. He didn't seem hostile, he just wanted to talk with me. I could get answers from him that I couldn't get from my family. Maybe he was right, and they _had_ been lying to me.

"I want to talk to him," I whispered. Edward groaned.

"You can't, Dani," he declared. "Come on, don't be stubborn. We won't lie to you and we will answer any of your questions, but you need to leave."

"Why? Why is it so important that he doesn't see me?"

"He's already seen too much, Dani, now for once in your life do what you're told!" Rosalie shouted, frustrated. I said nothing after that and let them lead me outside.

* * *

There were several parts to my early childhood that I knew to be facts. I knew that my parents were in an abusive relationship. Many nights were spent hiding under my covers hoping that my father didn't hit me the same way he hit my mom. I would even hide in my closet sometimes, where my mom would find me in the morning.

I knew that when I was five years old, my mom finally decided to leave him. It was storming outside, and they had another argument. He stormed out, slamming the door, and my mom immediately started packing. She thought I was sleeping, but I wasn't. We got in the car, despite the terrible weather conditions, and drove away.

I knew that a nomadic vampire was the one who wrecked our car that night. That Edward had been keeping tabs on my mother and me and knew about the accident. That was how the Cullens had found us. They were supposed to save both of us, but they could only save me. They brought me to the police station where I met with a social worker. Late that night, I went home with the Cullens.

I knew that my custody was uncontested. Carlisle had gotten my father to sign over his parental rights. I didn't have to meet with any lawyers, just my social worker. Within a month I had been adopted. I was a Cullen.

I didn't know that my father knew where I was. I didn't know that he knew my new family by name. I didn't know that he somehow followed us to Forks, and I sure as hell didn't know he was a vampire.

"She's not talking?" Dad's whisper pulled me out of my thoughts. I couldn't find any words. I was angry – furious, even – but mostly overwhelmed and confused. There were too many things happening, and as much as I wanted answers, I didn't know where to begin. Edward was still here, probably reading my mind and giving everyone the play-by-play, but my mom, dad, and Edward were the only ones in sight.

"I would never betray your privacy like that and you know it," Edward whispered from beside me. "You can talk when you're ready."

"We can answer any questions you have," Dad explained.

"I want Jacob," I realized. I felt vulnerable. I felt used. I needed my wolf-sized security blanket. He was probably at home, thinking everything was fine. He probably thought I was having a great time right now with my sisters. That was what was _supposed_ to be happening. This was supposed to be a fun night. That whole thought made this whole thing seem so much worse.

"Alice is calling him," Edward confirmed. "We need you to talk to us, though."

"I am talking to you," I uttered. The others just couldn't hear me.

"That doesn't count," Edward sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. His frustration was making me even angrier. This wasn't about him.

"Fine!" I stood up quickly, yelling. "I want to know the whole story. Everything. I want to know how he knew where I was, why he said you went back on your promise, how he knew all of your names, everything," I demanded. Dad nodded.

"The first time I met your father was when I needed to get his signature to hand over his parental rights," Dad explained. "He was in a bar in Chicago, drinking. I proposed the idea to him, and explained who I was. He said some choice words, and attempted to sign the papers. I told him that I would prefer if he signed them at another time when he wasn't under the influence. I left, and told him I would go to his house in the morning when he was sober.

"He was waiting for me when I got there. He seemed upset that his wife and daughter had left him, and it was clear that he didn't know about your mother's death. I explained what happened to him again, and he told me he was willing to sign the papers. He let me pack your remaining items, and I left."

"He didn't fight for me at all?" I asked. I had always known that it was uncontested, but I didn't ever imagine it to be that easy. "He didn't want to know who you were? Or why he couldn't keep me?"

Mom let out an angry growl, clearly remembering something. I looked at her confused.

"There was a lot of family drama that you were not aware of, my love," my mom explained. "That man didn't deserve you as a daughter."

"So why does he want me now?" I asked. "He didn't look horrible, he looked sorry."

"We moved shortly after adopting you," Dad went back to his story. "We moved Portland. We lived there for about three years before he found us. We weren't expecting him. You were eight. You had just found out about who we were, and we didn't want to upset you any further. He found you at a park. You were overjoyed to see him again, and you introduced him to us. We took you home, and explained to him that he couldn't see you anymore. We didn't trust him not to kidnap you.

"He stayed in Portland, and tried to contest the adoption, but there was nothing he could do. He had already signed the papers giving up his rights. He couldn't go back on them. He tried to convince us that he was a changed man. That he deserved to have his child back, but while he did seem to be sober, we couldn't let you go. I guess that was selfish on our part, but we still didn't trust him."

"That's when we moved again, right? To Denali?" I vaguely remembered. Dad nodded.

"It was in Denali that we realized your father had been turned. He found us, again, and came to the house. You were alone with Carmen and Eleazar while the rest of us were hunting. They didn't recognize him, and you were sleeping. He could hear your heartbeat and knew you were inside, so he tried to fight them. We were just arriving home, and your father quickly realized that he was no match for us, and we restrained him. There were…mixed feelings on what to do with him after that."

"Jasper wanted to kill him?" I asked, smirking. Dad nodded. _Of course_.

"There wasn't much we could do to keep him away since he's a vampire. No police department would be a match for him, so a restraining order is out of the way, but we were not going to let him come near you. We allowed him to live, and told him that if he ever came back, we wouldn't be so kind. You were not something we were willing to risk. He responded saying that his daughter wasn't a human pet and that if he came back and you were a vampire, he would tell the Volturi."

"Well _that_ ship sailed," I grumbled. Dad agreed.

"We knew it was a matter of time before he found us here in Forks," Dad sighed. "In all honesty, he couldn't have come at a more convenient time for us, given everything we have been through in the past year. We couldn't have afforded to fight with him then. Still, I'm not thrilled knowing that he is aware you're a vampire."

"I'm an adult now, though," I argued. "He can't do anything to me. He's already tried to fight for custody and lost, so legally he can't touch me. He can't kidnap me, because I can fight him. He can't hurt me."

"I suppose not," Dad mused. I chuckled.

"Oh my God, you're jealous!" I accused him. Dad's eyes widened at my sudden outburst.

"Excuse me?" He asked, surprised at my turnaround. I don't think this was the reaction he was expecting.

"You're jealous," I repeated. "You feel threatened by him. You think that if I get to know him, it might erase all of the negative feelings I have towards him."

"She's not wrong, Carlisle," Edward shrugged, trying to hide his own smirk. "You said it. In the past, he's been horrible. He's made Dani's life incredibly complicated and has given you a fair amount of stress. Still, he _can't_ hurt her anymore, not like that, anyways."

"He's not a good man, Danielle," Dad warned me.

"You said it yourself. When he visited you in Portland it looked like he had changed. Maybe he has? Everyone gets a new start when they're a vampire. Maybe he is different?" I asked, hopeful. Dad shook his head.

"The answer is no, Danielle. He is gone, and I don't want you following this. You have enough going on right now. Trust me, you don't want to be involved with that man."

"Dad," I smiled. "You're my dad. You have never beaten me, you've never hurt me, you've always loved me, and you always will. When I was scared at night because of the nightmares _he_ caused, you were the one who was there. Just because I want to talk to him doesn't mean I will stop loving you."

"That is incredibly sweet, love, but I still don't think it's worth you getting hurt. You're vulnerable emotionally and he can still hurt you that way. You might think he has changed, but I'm not convinced," Dad pleaded.

"Do you trust me?" I asked him. "Do you trust that you've raised a strong, independent woman who can handle herself?"

"Of course," Dad nodded. "It's him I don't trust."

"Well, trust me enough to be able to get to know him, and if he hurts me, trust me to be able to put him in his place and make sure that he leaves all of us alone for good," I resolved.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" Jake asked, coming up behind me. I didn't break my trance with my dad. He took one look at me, and one look at Jacob, and sighed. I knew that I had won him over.

"I'm going to meet my biological father," I declared nervously. _Don't screw it up, Dani._


	9. Danger

DANGER

"You're _what?"_ Jake asked, confused. "I thought he was dead or something?"

"My _mom_ is dead," I corrected. "My Dad just decided he didn't want a daughter anymore…or at least that's what I thought," I growled a little bit at my family. It really wasn't fair to be treating them this way, and I completely understood that they were trying to protect me, but I still felt a little betrayed. They deliberately kept me from someone who had all the answers to question I have had since I was a child.

"I don't get it…" Jake mumbled still trying to figure out what all the uproar was about.

"He's been showing up periodically, trying to take me back. He regretted his initial decision, apparently. I thought he just didn't care, but he does. He wants to apologize and he clearly has something he wants to tell me, so I'm going to talk to him," I explained.

"Are you sure that's something you want to do?" Jake cautioned. "How do you know he's a good guy now?"

"He's not," Alice grumbled from behind me.

"Have you actually seen me get hurt?" I turned on her. Jasper growled and went to defend her, but Alice waved him off. I raised my eyebrows, challenging her to give me an answer.

"You will," she promised. "There are still a lot of pieces that haven't fallen together, but I promise you Dani that if you get involved with this man you will get hurt."

"Why can't you just be happy with what you have, bug?" Emmett whispered from where he and Rosalie were standing.

"I _am_ happy!" I groaned, and took a deep breath. "I love you guys, and you are my family. _Nothing_ will change that. I just…I just want to talk to him. He's been the cause of my nightmares for years. I need closure. I need to face him. If that gets me hurt, than at least I know the truth. At least I tried."

Edward sighed, "You are your mother's daughter, that's for sure. Stubborn as all hell," he joked.

"Which one?" I asked, honestly curious. Edward and Dad looked at each other and shrugged.

"Both of them," they smiled. Dad pulled me in tighter, and I hugged him again. This was my family, and if we could face the Volturi, we could face my dead beat dad.

* * *

"Go to sleep, Jacob," I whispered. I was typing away on my laptop, trying to find out where my dad was living. He was a vampire, so it was difficult to trace, but I was doing my best.

"It's hard to sleep when all I can hear is typing and you growling at the computer every five minutes," he complained, rolling over. He looked at me like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it.

"Spit it out, Jake," I chuckled, turning my chair around to face him. He shrugged.

"It's not a productive comment," he relented.

"Productive comment?" I smirked. "Since when are you one to censor yourself in favor of productivity?"

"I'm going to be respectful to my beautiful wife and not answer that question," he rolled over again, and put a pillow over his head. I laughed and went to sit beside him.

"What does that mean?" I asked him, pulling the pillow off. He groaned and sat up, glaring at me.

"I miss you being able to sleep," he confessed. I laughed.

"Was that all?" I giggled. "I'm not going to get mad at something like that, babe."

"I didn't think you'd get _mad,_ " he rolled his eyes, clarifying. "I just didn't want you to get insecure or anything."

"That's sweet of you, babe," I ran my fingers through his hair. "But I'm fine. I'm better than I was a few weeks ago."

"You are," he agreed. "That doesn't mean you still don't act like you're PMS'ing all the time, though," he mumbled, getting more quiet as he realized what he was saying.

"I'm so much better, in fact, that I'm going to ignore the fact that you just said that and go back to hunting down my dad," I pecked him on the forehead. "Sleep tight, my love."

"Seriously, though, this whole you not sleeping and me sleeping thing is freaky," he complained.

"Jake!" I scolded him. "Just go to sleep!" I threw the pillow back at him, and a couple of feathers flew out of it. He laughed, and pulled the covers up. I would probably go join him and just lay down in an hour or so, but I needed to finish this for now.

I looked at the computer again – this time on a private website I used Alice's credit card to pay for – and typed in my dad's name: Peter Sullivan. I was pleased when a series of addresses popped up – along with a series of phone numbers. I cross referenced his name with those he was associated with, just to narrow the list down. I came across a Peter Sullivan that was about fifty and associated with Katherine Phillips, my mom. The website gave his last known address and phone number. I quickly wrote them both down.

"I found him," I whispered, smiling.

* * *

I snuck down the stairs, hoping to get away without anyone seeing me or assuming I was up to no good. Silly me.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alice asked me, seeing that I was planning on escaping. It was about 3 in the morning.

"I'll be back in a few hours, Alice," I told her. "It'll be fine."

"How do you plan on getting there? You don't have a driver's license," Alice pointed out. The address was for a town right outside of Seattle.

"I'm a vampire, I can run," I explained, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"And if you encounter a human? How do you plan on not killing them?" Alice noted another flaw in my plan. I shrugged.

"I've been around Jake and Nessie enough, and I hunted yesterday. I should be fine," I answered.

"You're a fool, Danielle," Alice chided, looked at a vision quickly, and rolled her eyes. "I'm coming with you."

"Alice, you-"

"Don't argue with me. We'll take the Porsche, come on."

"What did you see?" I asked her.

"Absolutely nothing, which is why I'm coming with you. At least if something happens on your idiot journey of self-exploration I can be there to help you," she growled. I shook my head and followed her outside into the car. I was a little surprised Jasper wasn't coming with us, but maybe he had other plans or something.

* * *

"You know," I pointed out after sitting in an awkward silence for a while . "I'm a little disappointed that you're not more on board with this."

"Of course I'm not on board with this, why would I _ever_ be on board with something like this?" Alice complained. She thought I was an absolute idiot. I had a feeling that the fight she had with my father tonight wasn't the first time she had fought with him.

"It wasn't that long ago that you went on your own journey of self-exploration," I pointed out. "Out of everyone, I thought that you would have my back with this."

"I have your back, Dani," Alice corrected. "It's complicated."

"How is it complicated? You did the same thing, Alice! The minute you had a chance to find out where you came from, you took it! You took off for _months_ and went to Mississippi! How is this different than that? I just want to know the same things," I defended. Alice sighed.

"I have absolutely no recollection of my human life, Dani. I didn't know what my parents were like, what my sister was like, anything at all. I'm not on board not because I don't have your back, but because you know. You are well aware that your dad is a level ten asshat, and you still feel the need to go expose yourself to his insanity. _That_ is why this is different."

"He's blood, Alice," I whispered quietly. "If he has stuck around this long trying to get in contact with me, then maybe it's worth a shot."

"Dani," Alice groaned. I wasn't getting it, apparently. "He's not trying to get in contact with you! He's not trying to tell you the secrets of why your mom died or why he abandoned you. He has spent an entire decade trying to steal you. Trying to take you away from us. Do you really think he's going to stop now?"

"He's not going to take me away from you," I promised. "I won't let him."

"He's a vampire now, Dani," Alice warned. "He's had years to build alliances and learn the ropes. You might not want to let him steal you, but he might not give you a choice. He could be dangerous."

"We've faced worse," I said, trying to be positive. Alice was freaking me out.

"Just be careful," she sighed before pulling over into a vacant lot. I looked at her confused.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"We're here," she pointed to the large building across the street. "Remember what I told you."

"Alice, I'll be fine," I promised, trying to convince myself more than her. This was my dad. He couldn't be _that_ dangerous, right?

 **A/N: Okay, so I have to apologize for two things. One, there was a glitch when I was uploading the last two chapters and so no emails got sent out notifying followers. Obviously, that one was out of my control, but I'm sorry if you're just getting on here now and realize that instead of one new chapter, there are actually three that you haven't seen before! I hope you enjoy them! Two, I want to apologize for the delay in updating. This story is a LOT harder to write than Storming Sky, and I have been dealing with finals and all of that good stuff. I'm out now, so I'm hoping to be able to pick up the pace a little bit and get back into a routine. I also want to say that you all are the reason this story is still alive - I can't believe we already have 62 reviews on this story! The response is more than I could have ever imagined, and I am so grateful. When I started writing Storming Sky last year, I thought it would be mainly for me to get a story out of my head and onto paper. I didn't expect so many people to fall in love with the characters or the writing, and I am so grateful. Thank you all so very, very much, and I hope that I can continue to deliver the high quality stories that you all deserve. Peace!**


	10. Blindspot

BLINDSPOT

I quickly crossed the street and approached the building. It was still early, and the sunlight was just barely touching the horizon. With vampire sight, my dad should have no problem identifying me, even in the dimly lit morning, but the darkness made me nervous. Bad things happened in the dark.

I knocked on the door, and heard a few groans from inside. This made me even more anxious about talking to my dad. I didn't realize he was living with others.

"It's four in the morning, who the hell is knocking at four in the morning," someone in a thick British accent complained.

"Maybe if you're quiet they'll assume we're sleeping and go away," a woman suggested, giggling. I thought about it. Thought about just telling Alice that no one was home, but I would never get this chance again. I needed to talk to my father. I knocked again.

"Damn it all," the British man said once again, and I heard him get up from off a piece of furniture – probably a couch. I saw him peak out of the window before opening the door, and I tried to give him a smile so he wouldn't feel as afraid as I did.

"What do you want, doll," the man opened the door a crack. I couldn't see him, but I was assuming he could see me.

"I'm here to see Peter Sullivan," I whispered cautiously. With at least two others living in this house, I didn't know if he was friend or foe.

"He's not here," the man said, and tried to close the door. I quickly reacted and prevented it from closing all the way.

"I need to talk to him," I pleaded. "It's important."

"I told you love, he's not here. Now, some of us have better things to do than hunt down people who shouldn't be hunted down," the man complained.

"What do you mean 'shouldn't be hunted down?'" I asked, confused. The man sighed, and opened the door a little wider. I could see his face now. I could also see him looking up and down the street, making sure no one else was awake and could see him.

"Peter Sullivan is a traitor and a thief. If you're here looking for something he took from you, you're never going to get it back. Trust me, we've all been there. It's better if you just let it go and pretend he was never a part of your life. Whatever he promised you, whatever he made you feel, it wasn't real, and he is probably ten paces onwards to the next undesirable activity."

"So you know him?" I asked, hopeful.

"Unfortunately," the man groaned. "Look, I've said too much. Love, believe me. There are better people in this world than Peter Sullivan."

"I'm not looking…he didn't promise me anything. I just have a few questions for him," I explained. "I know him from a long time ago."

"You poor thing," the woman from earlier came up behind the man, and wrapped her arms around him. She looked like she belonged in the 1920s rather than present day. "He's got you hooked, huh?"

"I'm not in love with him or anything, if that's what you're asking," I quickly dismissed. "Has he ever mentioned to you a Danielle Sullivan?"

"Golly, you're Danielle?" The girl asked, and I nodded. She then turned to her partner. "Let her in, Maxi," she begged.

"Peter won't be home for several hours," the man – Maxi, I guess – explained. "I can tell him you stopped by."

"Hush, Maxi. She's family! Let her in," the woman pushed him aside and held out her hand. She reminded me of Alice. "I'm Morgan, it's a pleasure to meet you, sweetie."

"Hi, I'm Dani," I shook her hand. I wanted badly to glance back at the Porsche where Alice was patiently waiting, probably talking to Jasper, but I also didn't want to lead on that I had someone else with me.

"Come on in, I can get you something to drink, we can chit-chat, and before you know it your daddy will be here. He talks about you _all_ the time," she smiled.

"This is a terrible idea, Morgan," Max complained, moving to the side so I could come in. Morgan rolled her eyes.

"He's so negative. Come have a seat. Rest your legs. Wow, your daddy was right, you look stunning as a newborn," she admired. "Max, go make us a couple a Bloody Marys," Morgan turned back to me and winked. "The secret is the real blood," she giggled. I panicked.

"Oh no, I can't," I tried to argue, but Morgan had me sit back down.

"Hush, sweetie. A little blood never hurt nobody. It's when you end up like-"

"That's enough, Morgan," Max cut her off, handing us Bloody Marys. "Yours is virgin – I promise. No one died in the making of this beverage."

"Thanks, I guess," I cringed, taking a sip. I didn't taste any blood, so I was hoping he was telling the truth. Then again, maybe the blood was what made this taste good, because with the alcohol it was just dreadful.

"Virgin? There's alcohol," I complained. Max shrugged.

"It means something different when you're a vampire, love," he suggested, sitting beside Morgan.

"Now, I thought them people that kidnapped you had you locked up or something – how'd ya get out?" Morgan asked, excited.

"Kidnapped?" I asked, a little afraid of what assumptions they were making.

"That's what your daddy said. He said these vamps took you when you were a baby and raised you to become one of them. He said that he tried to get you back, but they kept hiding you on him."

"That never happened – they adopted me," I argued. "Peter signed the paperwork when he was a human, he didn't want me."

"He was probably drunk that poor fool," Max complained.

"Yeah! The blonde guy intoxicated him!" Morgan fought with Max. Max rolled his eyes.

"I still don't know how you can believe everything that comes out of that man's mouth," he complained again.

"Peter's a good man, Maxi," Morgan frowned. "He just thinks with his heart and not his brain."

While they were arguing, a lamp in the corner of the room caught my eye. There was a red tint to it. It occurred to me that everything in the room was red. The couch, the chairs, they all had red covering. The wood was dark tinted, and there was no television, only a large record player. The room seemed to be quite dated. In the back, near the kitchen, there was a large bar area with a vast array of different alcohols. I assumed those dated back to at least the start of the United States, maybe longer.

"See something you like?" Max smirked. "I can pour you another drink," he suggested.

"I thought vampires couldn't drink alcohol?" I asked. I never saw anyone in my family do it, and they never ate or drank human food either, so I assumed it didn't do anything for them. Max just smiled.

"It burns as a human, but it slices as a vampire. Instead of blood, venom runs through our veins. The alcohol mixed with the venom leads to infinite possibilities," Max suggested, winking.

"But how does it leave your system?" It wasn't like vampires went to the bathroom or anything.

"The price to pay," Max shrugged. "You do have to toss it up, but we don't usually talk about that."

"It's an acquired feeling," Morgan laughed, taking another sip of her drink. I suddenly had the urge to fly out of here, but I knew I needed to talk to Peter.

"Where's Peter?" I asked again, hoping that now they were a little more relaxed they could give me a solid answer.

"I told you, he'll be home soon," Max glanced quickly at Morgan.

"Is he in trouble? You made it sound like he was always getting himself into trouble," I pointed out. Morgan shook her head.

"If he was in trouble we woulda known about it by now, baby," Morgan hushed. Max groaned.

"Speak of the devil," he complained.

"Max, open this damned door!" Peter shouted from outside. I recognized the voice from the night he was yelling similar things at my house. "I got the kid with me!"

"Blindfold her," Max directed Morgan. Morgan took a step towards me and I stood and raced to the wall.

"No way in hell," I warned her. They were not blindfolding me in this strange place.

"Sweetie, don't fight us on this. You will lose," she promised, and sounded a lot like Jasper.

"I won't," I bluffed. I probably would, but they didn't need to know that.

"Don't be difficult, love," Max sighed, coming over and grabbing my arms. I instantly reacted and pushed him off of me. _You're stronger than they are_ , I reminded myself. I just needed to get out of the house. _The door is locked_. That would take up time.

"Max!" Peter yelled from outside again.

Max got back up from where he landed on the floor, and chased after me. I tried to fiddle with the lock, but my hands were too shaky. I kicked Max back and Morgan was suddenly on me. I ripped one of her arms off and was suddenly pinned to the ground, and my world went black.

* * *

"You didn't have to snap her neck," a gruff voice complained. "Break enough fingers and she would have given up."

"She was a lot more adept than we expected," Max responded. "They must be training her."

"She's still a newborn. All newborns are the same," the man sighed, then kicked my chair. I could feel his beard brushing my cheek. I hated to think of how close he was to me.

"Open your eyes, baby," Morgan whispered. "It's okay. We didn't mean to scare ya like that."

She sounded truly apologetic. I cautiously opened my eyes and saw that I was chained to a chair. I was in a different room than before – more like a basement than a living space. For the first time, I was terrified.

"Hello, Dani," a man came out of the darkness and smiled. It was Peter. "I'm so happy you were able to find me."

"Why are you doing this to me?" I tried to break free of the cuffs on my wrist, but there was no use. They were vampire-proof.

"You attacked my family, sweet girl. They didn't have a choice. If you are good, we can let you go."

"I want to go home," I whined. I made a mistake. I should have listened.

"This is home now," Peter smiled, running a finger across the side of my face and tucking my hair away. _You're not allowed to do that_ , I growled.

"Easy," he warned. "Don't worry, you're not alone down here. Just like you, we have another son who has made some poor decisions. We found him in Forks, actually. Tied up just like this."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked him. How could he act like he wanted forgiveness, and then do this to people? What poor boy in Forks became his victim?

"You've been brainwashed, Dani," Peter explained, squatting in front of me. "You've been brainwashed to believe that vampires are equal to humans. That you can coexist. You've been made less-than by those bad people who kidnapped you. I'm going to cure you, baby. I'm going to make sure you know what your full potential is. Both of you," he gestured to where Max was bringing out the boy that Peter was talking about before.

He was blindfolded, but that didn't stop me from seeing the bright blonde hair and the nice clothes. My chest caved in on itself when I recognized the voice. This boy was supposed to be dead already. He had been through enough.

"Welcome, Ryan," Peter greeted once Max got Ryan seated. He took off Ryan's blindfold, and there it was. His vivacious blue eyes were replaced with violent red ones. His eyes were once kind and adventurous, but now they were angry and murderous.

"Ryan," I sighed sadly. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab him. I needed to touch him, I needed to know that I wasn't hallucinating.

"Dani?" Ryan asked, realizing who was sitting in front of him. He was probably noticing the same thing I was. Blue eyes turned to red – or gold, in my case. Eyes that were once full of joy full of sorrow.

"I thought you were dead?" I asked him. I didn't know how much time I had with him, and I didn't care that the others were listening.

"They turned me. It was all a plot to get to you, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Ryan apologized. I shook my head.

"You were a vampire? That day in Jake's house?" I questioned, finally putting the pieces together. That would explain why the snapped neck wouldn't have killed him. He looked so human, though.

"They made me wear contacts. The blood was from what they did to me beforehand. I tried to warn you, I wasn't – I couldn't," he hung his head in defeat. "And now we're here."

"It's going to be okay," I promised him. It had to be. We had faced so much worse than my ignoramus father. Ryan looked at me and then looked out the window. Peter, Max, and Morgan were off talking in the corner now, and none of them were paying attention to us.

"Alice?" Ryan mouthed. I shook my head. Alice didn't know this was happening. She would realize it, when I didn't come out soon, but she wouldn't know about any danger. She would get herself hurt in the process.

"How?" Ryan mouthed again. How what? How did this happen? I looked at him confused.

"How?" Ryan repeated, and then opened his eyes. _See._ How did Alice not see this? That's a great question. My sister came here for backup, and I still ended up locked up in a basement.

I spent the better part of the next hour running through my head of how my sister could have missed all of this.

 **A/N: Thank you all for your continued support. The reviews I get for this story and Storming Sky make me so happy. I want you all to know that even though I don't respond, I read each and every one and take them all to heart. I hope you enjoyed this chapter (and the resurrection of our boy Ryan)!**


	11. Wrong

ALICE POV

"She's been gone for twenty minutes, Jazz, and I still can't see anything. There's no way this is because of Jacob," I panicked into the phone. I should have gone with her. I should have introduced them and made sure everything was safe. I should have been more supportive.

"I'm sure she's fine, darlin'. She's tough. She can handle herself," Jazz assured me.

"I think I should go check on her. I don't like being blind…" I mused. I am rarely able to see Danielle these days. I haven't been able to see her clearly since Jake imprinted on her, but recently, she's all but disappeared. Usually that only happened when Jake or Nessie were physically around her, but now, now it was all the time. I expressed this to Carlisle and he said it was because of the solidification of Jake and Dani's relationship, but I'm not convinced. Something just doesn't sit right with the whole situation.

"Peter hates you, more than the rest of us, probably. If you go in there, it's only going to make things worse. If Dani needed you she'd text you," Jazz made another feeble attempt to convince me.

"What if she can't? There are others in there, Jazz. It's not just Peter. You know this," I grumbled.

"She's a vampire now. She's not our weak baby sister. Trust me, she can handle whatever trouble they give her, enough to get some help."

"I'll just text her, I guess," I sighed. Something wasn't right.

"If you don't hear from her in another ten minutes, call me back," Jasper directed, and I smirked. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he was just as nervous about this situation as I was.

"Is Jake up yet?" I asked him. That was a whole different battle. Jacob was going to lose his mind once he found out where Dani was.

"No, thank goodness. He isn't patrolling until tonight, so I think the plan was for him to get some sleep. Hopefully he'll stay that way," Jasper answered cautiously.

"Okay. Hopefully we'll be done with this by the time he gets up. He usually doesn't show himself before noon if he can avoid it anyways," I affirmed.

"Be careful," Jasper said. "I love you."

"I love you too," I smiled, then hung up the phone, and sent a quick text to Dani.

 _Everything ok? How much longer?_

DANIELLE POV

The terrible threesome finally left Ryan and me alone after a few minutes. I could tell Ryan had a thousand questions, and his eyes were drilling into the side of my head, so I figured I'd give him the rundown.

"It was Aro," I whispered. I had a feeling that someone was listening in, but the whispering might make it a little harder for them to hear.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"I know you're curious about what happened. The one who killed you-"

"Demetri," Ryan growled his name.

"Yes, Demetri," I shuddered. "He took me to where everyone was in the clearing. Aro put me on trial instantly and made me choose."

"And you chose _this_?" Ryan scoffed, actually betrayed that I would choose to become a vampire.

"My family is all vampires, Ryan," I tried to reason with him. He shook his head. As much as I have struggled with being a vampire, he must be beside himself.

"We should have ran when we had the chance. None of this would have happened. We could be far, far away from these hell-sent creatures by now."

"Why did they turn you?" It was my turn to ask questions now. "Why wouldn't they just kill you?"

"This is a far greater punishment than death," Ryan hissed. "I was starving myself before daddy dearest came and found me."

"He's not my dad," I hissed back at Ryan. "Don't you dare say that again."

"Or what, you'll kill me?" Ryan smirked. I rolled my eyes. This kid was getting on my nerves. Not that I expected anything else.

I looked around, trying to find an escape route. Our teeth were made of the strongest materials in the world, so even though it wouldn't be pleasant, I had a feeling I could chew through the binds. It was just a matter of doing it in enough time and quietly enough that no one could hear – and then actually escaping.

The problem was there were no doors or windows. We were in a certifiably medieval basement. The doors were padlocked, and there were tools in here that I hoped I would never figure out how they worked.

"It's pointless," Ryan whispered after a while. "I've already tried."

"How long have you been here?" I asked him, curious.

"Who knows? Long enough to know I hate this place. I'd rather take my chances back in Volterra. At least then I know they'd kill me eventually."

"Wait," I got even softer, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "When Peter brought you back before, was it because you had escaped?"

Ryan nodded. "It's no use. They find me every time. I think Peter's a tracker."

"But you know how to get out of here?" I whispered hopefully right before the door slammed, and Max returned.

"If you fight me, you'll be punished. Do you understand?" Max explained to me. I nodded. Jasper taught me early on that fighting without a plan was useless. Strategy over strength. I didn't have a plan, or even an escape route, so there was no point in fighting right now. It was bad enough I was trapped, I didn't want to get hurt either.

"Come on, love," Max ushered me up the stairs, and away from Ryan. As I walked up the stairs, I saw the same look in his eyes that I saw when Demetri snapped his neck. Pure, unaltered fear.

Max didn't bring me to the living room area I was in before. Instead, he brought me up another flight of stairs to what looked like private rooms.

"It's all right, love," Max assured as we walked past where Peter was cleaning up in the bathroom. Peter gave me a smile that told me that everything was definitely not alright.

The room Max placed me in was similar to the basement, but less intimidating. It had a nice rug on the floor, and the walls were painted a nice blue color. There were some trinkets, a dresser, and a small futon.

"Is this a bedroom?" I asked. It looked eerily similar to my room at home – minus the bed.

"It's your bedroom," Max smiled. "Once your treatment is over, this is where you'll live. Like we said, this is your home now."

"Maxi?" A shrill voice whispered from the hallway. It was Morgan again.

"May my wife come in?" Max asked me. I shrugged and rolled my eyes. Why ask when I was a prisoner? Apparently that set Max off.

"I asked you a question, and I expect a proper answer. I don't know what rules they had for you before, but you will act civilized in this house," He demanded. "Now, I repeat. May my wife come in?"

"Yes, sir," I sighed. I needed to find a way out of here. If one of them was a tracker, I hope to hell none of them are mind readers.

"There's someone looking for you, Dani," Morgan smiled, and handed me my phone. Someone must have snagged it when they snapped my neck.

"May I please have my phone?" I asked, with a little attitude. I could tell it didn't go unnoticed, but Max took my phone and went to hand it to me. Right before I could grab it, he pulled it away.

"You're going to call your sister. You're going to say exactly what I tell you to, and nothing else. Do you understand?"

"You know, for someone who wants me to be a part of this family, you really seem to be more of a serial killer than a brother," I mumbled. Max raised his eyebrows.

"Do you understand?" He repeated. I sighed.

"Yes, sir," I repeated from earlier. He handed me my phone and I read Alice's text message.

"Call her," Max directed. Morgan was still standing in the doorway. The phone barely rang one time before Alice picked up.

"Dani?" She asked. "Are you okay?" Max quickly wrote on a piece of paper. _Of course. I'm sorry for taking so long, we're just having fun catching up._

"Of course," I tried to sound convincing. "I'm sorry for taking so long. We're just having fun catching up." Max nodded.

"Well, we should probably leave soon if you want to make it back to the house before Jake wakes up," Alice suggested. Shit, Jake. He was going to go insane. Max pointed at the piece of paper. _He'll be fine, he can live without me for a day._ I tried not to smirk. Of course Max didn't know about the imprint. Peter wasn't in the picture when Jake was around. Max screwed up.

"He'll be fine," I teased, feeling a little more confident. "He can live without me for a day."

"A day?" Alice questioned. "Does that mean you're going to stay with Peter?" Max nodded, and wrote more down on the paper. _Yes, for a while, possibly. You shouldn't worry._

"Yes, for a while, possibly. You shouldn't worry," I sounded a little too robotic, and Max grimaced. Alice wasn't convinced yet.

"Okay, well if you're going to stay, I'm going to go shop for a little while. I can come back and get you later tonight?" Alice suggested. Max pointed towards the window and Morgan immediately went to go check. I could tell she saw the yellow Porsche and realized that I wasn't here alone.

Max wrote _No need. Peter is going to drop me off once we're done. You can head home._

"No need. Peter is going to drop me off once we're done. You can head home," I told her. _Please don't leave_. I thought in my head. I prayed to anyone I could think of that she picked up on Max's mistake earlier.

"Okay," Alice hesitated. "Have fun with Peter, I guess." _Please come find me._ Max waved his hand in front of me and pointed towards his paper. He wrote that it was time to say goodbye.

"Thanks, Alice," I choked out. _I should have listened to you_. "I love you," I whispered. Max nodded in approval.

"I love you too. Be careful," she warned. Max looked questioningly, but I shook my head. Max hung up the phone.

"She always says that," I defended, and I wasn't wrong. "I was the only human and the youngest of six – they're all overprotective."

"Well, not anymore," Max sighed, and handed my phone back to Morgan. "Are they done yet?" he whispered.

"Not yet. Soon, hopefully. I hate seeing that little boy hurt, but he does it to himself. He's so stubborn," Morgan trailed, seeing my face and realizing that she said too much.

"You're hurting him?" I questioned, all of a sudden getting defensive. Ryan got on my last nerve, but he was the only ally I had right now. He might be messed up and quirky, but he saved my ass – or at least tried to – with the Volturi and I owed him the same.

"Relax, Danielle," Max tried to soothe. Morgan looked uncomfortable. "Everything will be fine."

"How can you say that when you're torturing him?" I questioned.

"It's not torture, sweetie," Morgan jumped in. "It's just…it's how you learn to behave. Vampires react differently. You can't just tell a vampire not to do something, you have to enforce it somehow. We've all been there. He just needs to learn," Morgan explained. This was so wrong and so sick.

I sat back down on the futon in defeat. _Alice you need to come get me – now._

ALICE POV

"Did you talk to her?" Jazz asked on the phone. I drove to a new parking spot so it would look like I left, and quickly called Jasper. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew it wasn't anything good.

"She sounded robotic," I confirmed. "Like…something was off. She was upset."

"What did she tell you?"

"She said she was having fun with Peter and she was going to stay with him for a while, but her _tone_ , Jazz. Her tone didn't reflect that at all. Plus she completely dismissed Jacob which is unlike her-"

"What did she say about Jacob?" Jasper interjected, and the phone beeped. "You're on speaker phone. Jacob is still sleeping."

"She said that he would live a day without her," I repeated. "That sounds weird, right?"

"She wouldn't say that," Carlisle confirmed. "She would say that he could live a little while, could live for a few hours, but never a full day. It's not true. I also don't believe that she'd choose Peter over Jacob. Something isn't right."

"I've had that feeling ever since you texted us this morning," Esme added. "Call it mother's intuition, but I know something is wrong with my daughter."

"I don't understand why I couldn't see any of this happening," I grumbled, frustrated with myself. I should have caught this.

"Someone inside must be blocking your visions," Jasper stated. "It's not your fault. If you had seen this, you wouldn't have let her go."

"I shouldn't have let her go anyways, Jazz," I whined. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle and Esme."

"She's stubborn, particularly as a vampire, Alice," Carlisle sighed. "She was raised by strong, independent women, and now she has become one. I'm not sure there is anything we could have done to keep her here. I'm just grateful you went with her, otherwise we wouldn't even know something was wrong."

"Thank you, Carlisle," I whispered. It didn't make me feel any better. "How long do you think it will be before you all get here?"

"Twenty minutes," Carlisle said.

"Or less," I heard Esme say from the background. There was shuffling.

"Someone should wake up Jacob and explain to him what is going on. He'll throw a fit if he isn't kept in the loop, and if she's in danger, he'll want to be here."

"I'll call Bella," Rosalie spoke up. "Maybe she can convince him to stay here with Seth and Renesmee. Edward needs to be brought into the loop anyways."

"Alice," Jasper grabbed my attention again. "Try to figure out how many vampires we're dealing with, and if there are any surprises. I don't like the idea of going in blind."

"I know you don't," I smirked. "I'll do my best."

"I love you, darlin'," Jasper whispered into the phone once it was just him again. "We're going to get her back."

"I know," I tried to convince myself. Failure really wasn't an option here.


	12. Answers

ANSWERS

"What do you do for fun, Dani?" Morgan asked me. I wasn't sure if she was trying to make conversation or distract me from the screams that were getting progressively louder. I wasn't always Ryan's biggest fan, but I hated hearing him hurt like this.

"Get myself into life or death situations, apparently," I grumbled. Peter called for Max a little while ago, so I didn't have to worry about Mr. Sensitive getting annoyed that I wasn't being polite. Hopefully Morgan understood where some of my hostility came from.

"He'll never kill you," Morgan whispered, hurt that I would suggest something like that. "If you follow the rules, he'll never hurt you either. He doesn't like hurting us."

"Do you know what he's doing?" I asked. "Do you know what his punishments are?"

"I never tried to run away, but I did kill someone. For that he staked me a few times," Morgan sighed. "It was my fault, though. I shouldn't have lost control."

"You're a vampire," I said, shocked. "You shouldn't be punished for accidentally killing someone." From my understanding, the guilt was enough punishment. I hoped that I would never have to experience that.

"It's the only way to learn," Morgan defended. "Your father is a good man, Dani."

"It didn't sound that way when I first got here. Max said it himself 'there are better people in this world than Peter Sullivan,'" I reminded her from earlier.

"Well, he has his moments. He is devoted, and there is no one he loves more than you, sweetie. Unfortunately that doesn't change some of his other habits."

"Don't you think he should be punished, then? Who holds him accountable?" I pried. Morgan just shrugged.

"It's just how things are, I guess. We do what he says and he gives us a home and sustenance. He's hardly ever here anyways. It wasn't until we found you that he wanted us all to be a family."

"Peter Sullivan: family man," I scoffed, adjusting myself on the bed. I hadn't moved in a while, but the screams were dying down. Whatever Peter and Max are doing to Ryan must be nearly done by now.

"You'll be happy here," Morgan whispered after a moment. "You and Ryan. You'll see," she smiled. I didn't have time to disagree with her before Max came back.

"Have you enjoyed your room?" Max said, acting like he didn't just torture an innocent boy.

"Yes, thank you," I said softly. I wish there was a way I could get by them.

"Unfortunately we need to bring you back downstairs now, but if there is anything in here that you would like us to take down for you, Morgan and I would be more than happy to oblige."

"I want to talk to Peter," I demanded, finding an ounce of courage out of nowhere. I wasn't moving until I did, I decided.

"That's not possible right now," Max insisted. "Please, do as you're told."

"I want to talk to Peter," I repeated. I knew that I had failed to fight Max before, but I was in a room with a window now. Max was nearly twice the size of me in height, be he was a stick otherwise. I was probably stronger than him. If I could take him off guard, I could surprise him enough to jump out and hunt Alice down. The two of us could take him.

"I told you, that's not possible. Please, just come with me," Max held out his hand. I tried to search around for anything that would help me – anything that could act as a stake or other weapon. There was nothing. This bedroom wasn't much of an upgrade from the basement, honestly.

Jasper taught me how to fight. When I was eight, after some kid at school punched me in the face and broke my nose. He taught me how to use my size to my advantage. I was curious as to how much of that transferred over to vampire fighting. I tried desperately to remember what he said in the clearing all those months ago about fighting vampires. Unfortunately, I was more focused on Jacob at the time than what Jasper was saying.

Then again, if Ryan had been able to escape, he also would have had to fight either Max or Morgan. Ryan had less tactical ability than I did. I doubt he was ever formally trained, and he was able to get away. I had to assume Peter was a tracker, and that's how he was able to find him and bring him back. If I was with my family, though, he couldn't touch me. Ryan didn't have that.

I was going to take my chances. If I went down to that basement, I wasn't getting out of here anytime soon. I had to fight Max, I had to fight him now, and I had to win.

"What are you-" Max didn't have time to finish that question before I grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and threw it at his face. It certainly wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was a good enough distraction so that I could land a good kick to his groin. He bunched over in pain and I quickly projected myself out of the window.

Before I knew it, Peter was after me. He had to have heard Max when he went down, and realized something was wrong. I ran as fast as I could – not worrying about human speed at all – to where I left Alice before. Her car wasn't there, and I panicked. I didn't know where she was. Did she actually leave?

I jumped over the fence in the lot and into another backyard. I messed up. I messed up big time. I looked around, trying to find Alice's Porsche. I couldn't. Quickly, I remembered what Morgan said about Peter's punishment for killing humans. I didn't like what I was about to do, but it was the only way I was going to survive this.

ALICE POV

"I just saw her, Jazz, she just lit up in my vision like a Christmas tree. We're looking for a blue house with wallpaper that came out of my mother's kitchen," I nearly screamed into my phone. _Hang on, Dani. We've got you_.

"How are we supposed to know the wallpaper from outside of the house, Alice?" Edward hissed into the phone. He was _not_ happy when Rosalie told him what happened. Jasper filled me in, but I was certainly glad I wasn't there.

"Just figure it out, Edward. She doesn't have much time. She has a hostage, and it won't be long before Peter calls her bluff," I warned.

"Do you know she's bluffing?" Jasper suggested. He was met with several growls.

"I'm not saying that because I want her to hurt someone, nor do I want to have to witness the aftermath of that, but we have to acknowledge that if it comes down to going back with Peter or killing someone, she might choose the latter. She might be completely serious."

"I should have gone with her," I sighed into the phone, my guilt eating me alive. My poor, sweet sister.

"We'll get her, Alice. You can see her now, which helps so much," Esme comforted from another line. I sighed.

"I'm going to see if I can get a better picture of the outside of the house," I redirected. This wasn't supposed to be about me.

"Let us know what you find. We're almost there," Carlisle said.

"Is Jacob with you?" I asked, smirking.

"Of course," Carlisle chuckled. "He's bringing his own backup."

"Of course," I smiled. Even if we couldn't find her, Jake would. Danielle would be fine.

DANIELLE POV

"You need to let this woman go and come with me, Danielle," Peter said, inching closer.

"If you come any closer, I promise I will kill her," I threatened. The woman struggled a little bit, but she was no match for me. I had her neck bent. It would only take one bite. I hoped that Peter valued the life of a human more than he valued dragging me back to that dungeon.

"You're bluffing," Peter smirked. "I know that Carlisle trained you better than that."

"He's not here," I countered. "I can do whatever I want."

"That's not true. You will be punished for this, regardless of the outcome," Peter warned, inching closer.

"Stop moving!" I shouted, grabbing onto the woman a little harder, accidentally crushing one of her bones. She screamed out in pain. I fought the urge to apologize. Peter had to know I was serious about this. He needed to believe that I could kill her.

"Danielle, you're out of control. This is the newborn inside of you. You need to remember who you are."

"I know who I am," I growled. "I am Danielle Cullen Black. Carlisle Cullen is my father. Esme Cullen is my mother. They raised me to be a good person. I wasn't kidnapped, or whatever other bullshit you keep telling people. They have protected me from whatever messed up world you live in, and my biggest regret in life is believing that you wanted to make things right be me. All you have proven is that you are as psychotic as everyone says you are, and that I am _nothing_ like you and everything like my mom!" I shouted at him. I clearly pressed a wrong button, because he lunged at me. I quickly pushed my hostage out of the way, and dodged Peter's attack.

"Run!" I yelled to the woman, and she didn't hesitate for a moment before bolting out of her home. Peter let her go. I was his real target. I took the table and shoved him against the wall, trying to escape myself. Peter pushed the table back to me, and flipped me so that he was grabbing my neck. He was significantly stronger than Max was.

"Let her go," someone growled from behind. _You found me_ , I smiled. I took this moment of distraction to kick Peter off of me, and he let go of my neck and went flying into the far wall.

"Come here," I heard Jake say from the doorway. He was the last to come in. "Are you okay?" He asked, checking me over. I chuckled a little bit, and started kissing him.

"I'm fine," I whispered, in between kisses. "I have to go do something, though."

"Okay, whatever you need," Jake nodded. "And then I'm never letting you out of my sight again, okay? Not even when I'm sleeping."

"Deal," I promised, then walked over to where Dad was sitting with Peter.

"I'm sorry," I apologized to both of them. They looked at me confused.

"I'm sorry that I believed you," I told Peter. "I'm sorry that I thought you could change. Clearly, you couldn't. Clearly, you're as messed up as you've always been. I thought I could change my memory of you. I thought I could make you out to be someone that I could bring into my family, but I was wrong."

I turned to my real dad next. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," I choked out. "I'm sorry I went looking for trouble. You're my real dad and you always have been. You've loved me more than this man ever could. I love you, and I'm so sorry," I hugged him. I could feel Peter glaring holes into my head.

"This is what a family is, Peter. If you ever want this someday, you have to realize life is about forgiveness, not punishment. When you are compassionate, and forgive, people want to do right by you. They'll follow you not because they're afraid, but because they want the love that you are able to give them. That's why we have a family that you could never have. We have loyalty and compassion," I paused for a moment. "With that said, I'm going to go back to your house. I'm going to get Ryan, and you're never going to see either of us again. If you want a family, you're going to have to start with people who can give you a clean slate, because after what I've seen, that's never going to be possible with us."

"I'm so proud of you," my dad whispered beside me, pulling me in closer. "Let's get Ryan and go home."

"I'm sorry you didn't get the answers you wanted, Dani," Alice squeezed my shoulder as we walked out. She was talking to Rosalie, who also gave me a sad smile. I shook my head.

"I got the answers I needed," I told her, smiling. "I'll see you back at home."

"See you at home, sweetie," Rosalie and Alice smiled.

Home sounded really good right about now.


	13. A Family

A FAMILY

"I don't like him," Jake complained for the hundredth time that day. We were sitting on the couch watching Ryan fidget with some piece of furniture Mom had bought him for his new bedroom. Apparently, he had never had to build his own furniture before. Mom offered to help him plenty of times, but he declined. He was too proud.

"Be nice," I whispered to Jake. "He's been through a lot, too."

"That doesn't mean I have to like him," Jake growled. Honestly, I didn't blame him for not liking Ryan. In his eyes, Ryan was the one who tried to take me away from him. To make matters worse, Ryan was the only one who challenged Jacob when it came to my courtship. If I had to guess, I would say it was more jealousy than anything.

"Ryan, just let my mom help you," I sighed, getting up from my spot on the couch. As I approached, he hissed at me, and Jake was at my side in an instant. I could also see Jasper and Emmett by the door to the garage.

"He's fine, guys," I rolled my eyes. It had only been a week since Ryan moved in, and he had already attacked at least three different people in the house. Jake was his favorite to go after, but I was a close second. He made me look like the most controlled vampire out there.

"I can do it myself," he growled. The added pressure of people watching him caused him to lose his control on his strength, and he ended up breaking one of the boards. In anger, he promptly chucked the wooden board out through the front window. I could hear Mom sigh from her spot in the kitchen.

"Dammit!" He yelled. I felt a wave of calm and Jasper took a step forward. This seemed to only agitate Ryan.

"Can you stop that?" He hissed. Jasper shook his head.

"I'm only trying to help you. Just relax," Jasper coached. I could tell that Ryan was getting under his skin too, but Jasper, unlike my husband, could remain objective. To him, Ryan was just another newborn.

"I'm calm, I'm calm," Ryan raised his hands, and sat down on a nearby chair in defeat. I chuckled a little bit at the sight.

"What are you laughing at?" Ryan glared at me. It still shook me that his eyes were no longer a piercing blue. They were starting to turn topaz, like ours, but it wasn't quite as prevalent yet.

"You're so stubborn," I smirked, shaking my head. Dad walked in the door then, after what seemed to be a long day at work.

"Hi honey," Mom greeted him, and they pecked each other on the lips. There was a time when even the smallest of affection between my parents grossed me out, but given recent events, I found it kind of beautiful.

"Just be glad you can't read their minds," Edward murmured from the back door. I gagged a little.

"That's disgusting," I voiced, giving Renesmee a big hug. She was almost too big to be my little niece anymore. Soon, people were going to think we were the same age.

"Hi Auntie Dani," she smiled.

"Hi, sweetie," I greeted her back. She quickly ran off to give all of her other aunts and uncles hugs.

"What? Nothing for your favorite brother?" Edward teased. I rolled my eyes and hugged him. _You know I can't admit to that_ , I challenged him.

"Not out loud, anyways," he winked. My eyes widened. If Jasper or Emmett heard him talking like that it would start a battle for sure.

"How's he doing?" Bella pointed at Ryan, whispering softly. He was too preoccupied with Renesmee that he wouldn't be focused enough to hear us. There was something about that girl that was able to pull everyone in. Even psychos like Ryan.

"He's okay," I nodded. "I still don't know how I feel about him being here. We've definitely become…friendly, I guess, but it's got Jake on edge. I don't like them fighting over me."

"There's nothing to fight about, is there?" Bella asked, suggesting something I didn't even want to think about.

"Of course not," I affirmed. "I love Jacob, and that will never change. There is no one else I could ever be with, but Ryan doesn't seem to understand that. Even now, after everything…he still says things, you know?"

"Did you talk with him?" Bella asked.

"As soon as we got back. I told him his room was in the basement, my room was on the third floor, and there was a reason for that. I reminded him that Jake and I were married, and if he did anything to jeopardize our marriage, I would kick him out myself."

"Good girl," Jake whispered from behind me, grabbing me around the waste and kissing me on the cheek. "Forever," he said into my ear.

"And always," I whispered back to him, returning his kiss.

"We actually need to talk to you about that, Dani," Dad said from the doorway. He had changed out of his work clothes and was in ordinary clothes now.

"We?" I questioned.

"Your mom and I," he answered. "Upstairs, please," he said, extending his hand. I looked to Jacob. He shrugged.

"It's okay, Dani," Edward nodded.

"It won't take long," Dad confirmed. I sighed and followed my dad upstairs into his office.

* * *

"Okay, what's the matter?" I asked once Dad had taken a seat. We were all sitting so we were facing each other, but I didn't miss the panicked looks Mom was sending to Dad every few seconds or so.

"It's February," Dad mentioned, clearly uncomfortable. I nodded.

"Thank you for the reminder," I said, confused.

"What your father is trying to say, dear, is that we were supposed to move to New Hampshire last fall. It's now February, and Forks High School is missing two popular members of its community," Mom explained.

"People are starting to ask questions about you," Dad continued. "Why you left so suddenly, if you're coming back, why no one has been able to reach you…" he trailed.

"The usual," Mom confirmed. "We've been trying to hold them off, saying that there has been a family emergency and you're just not ready to go back, but people are very persistent."

"Tyler and Mariana?" I guessed. Any of the seniors who graduated with Bella and Edward probably wouldn't care as much. I was in class with Tyler and Mariana every day. They would notice, and honestly, I was surprised they hadn't busted down the doors yet.

"Bingo," Dad smiled. "There's a reason we changed your number once you turned."

"You changed my number?" I asked, credulously.

"We had to. We needed to control the situation. The only people who had access to your new phone number was the family," Mom defended. "I'm sorry if that makes you upset."

"I mean…I guess I understand. I probably would have said something stupid anyways," I mumbled. I hated when they did things like this, but they weren't wrong. The minute Mariana or Tyler texted me, I would have messed everything up.

"With that said, we need to consider relocating soon," Dad sighed.

"By soon you mean…" I trailed. I knew where this was going.

"The sooner the better, sweetie," Mom comforted, taking my hand. This wasn't a surprise. I knew this was happening. I just thought that it would happen differently. I wasn't allowed back on the reservation anymore, so my plan to live with Jake and Billy was out. I dropped out of high school, so my plan to go to graduate and go to college while I was living away from my family was out. In truth, I didn't know what I was going to do.

"Edward and Bella still plan on attending Dartmouth in the fall. They once again deferred their admission," Dad explained. "The other housing arrangements have been extended as well."

"What about Renesmee and Seth?" I asked. Renesmee wouldn't stay here without Edward or Bella, but Seth wouldn't leave her.

"I will homeschool Renesmee until she can attend high school," Mom said. "Seth has the option to come with us, of course."

"It would, however, be a lot easier if his Alpha came as well," Dad added. I looked at them shocked.

"You want me to ask Jacob to leave?"

"You're still very young, sweetheart," Dad began. "As a vampire, you could do things that Jacob wouldn't be able to protect you from. We don't feel comfortable leaving you here without a coven."

"I'm not a newborn, anymore!" I defended. "I have myself under control," I insisted. Mom sighed, squeezing my hand.

"It would just be for a little while," Mom tried. "You can move back here in a decade or so. You can go to school, if you'd like. We just...we just don't want you to be alone."

"I wouldn't be alone," I shook my head. "I'd have the pack. I'd have Jacob. It's sad and terrible, but Billy might not even be here in ten years!" I argued. "Jake is all he has, I can't take that away from him."

"Dani," Jake said from the other side of the doorway. I looked at my dad, and my eyes became saucers. Dad sighed, and ran his hands through his hair.

"Come in, Jacob," Dad welcomed. I looked at him, and he looked so sad. I got up and pulled him into my arms.

"You need to go to New Hampshire, babe," Jake mumbled into my hair. I shook my head.

"Plan A can still work, don't let them fool you," I also mumbled, but into his chest. He was too damn tall. Jake chuckled.

"Billy has Rachel now. She's not going anywhere, trust me. Paul's gonna pop the question any day now, actually. It might even get Rebecca up here. If it will be easier for you, I can go to New Hampshire with you. Leah can handle things until we come back."

"That is far too much to ask of you," I tried to argue, but Jake cut me off.

"You're my wife, you don't have to ask," he kissed my forehead. "I'd follow you anywhere, you know that."

"What about Ryan?" I countered, turning back towards my dad. "We're a coven of eleven, without even counting Seth and Jacob. It puts a huge target on our backs that we don't need right now."

"You're right, and we've thought about that too. It's a transition period, love. We don't know what is going to happen, but we know that for right now, we need to get the family out of Forks. Rosalie and Emmett have been talking about some plans, and Alice and Jasper, plus I'm sure you and Jacob would like some freedom from time to time," Dad mused.

"So this is the end of us all living together?" I asked.

"If we want to live together in the future, it will have to be," Dad nodded. "You, Jacob, Ryan, Mom, and I will live in one house. Alice and Jasper will live nearby, as will Rosalie and Emmett. Edward, Seth, Bella, and Renesmee will live closer to Dartmouth. We might even be able to stay there longer if people don't believe we are related. Rosalie and Jasper are old enough to pass as my siblings…"

"That's disgusting," I shook my head, trying not to picture Rosalie and Jasper trying to act as Dad's siblings. Everyone else in the room chuckled.

"This was the hardest part, love. Figuring out how to leave Forks. Once you move a few times, it does get easier," Dad promised.

"We'll do this together," Mom promised. "As a family."

"Yeah, what she said," Jake teased, messing up my hair. "A family."

"A family," I agreed. New Hampshire here we come.


	14. Cheers

CHEERS

It feels like every time I've had to say goodbye, death was looming over my shoulder. While I was fortunate enough to not be in that position again, it didn't make the process any easier.

I had lived in Forks for nearly four years. That was the longest we had ever stayed in one place, and it was because Forks wasn't just a town to us. It wasn't just another place to lay low while we pretended we were a normal, human family. Forks became home. We had roots here. This was where Edward met Bella, and I met Jacob, and Renesmee met Seth. This would forever be home to us.

Never mind the people we were leaving behind. Charlie was devastated when Bella broke the news to him, but he understood. They played up the college card. He made Bella promise they would be back for holidays, and she did. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, they would come home.

I felt terrible for Jacob. His sisters left him to take care of Billy when he was so young. For the longest time, Billy was Jacob's whole life. I hated that I put him in this position.

"Stop worrying," Jacob nagged me. We were going back to the reservation one last time to say goodbye to the pack, and goodbye to Billy. I was granted special permission by not only Jacob (who, let's be real, would _always_ give me permission), but also Sam. They were working together with Carlisle to amend the laws in the treaty that said that vampires weren't allowed on their land. Over the past two years, we had more than proven that we were worthy of their trust, and vice versa. Of all the danger and fighting, at least something good came out of it.

"I'm not worrying, I'm thinking," I smirked. I was going to miss Forks.

"Then think out here, with me. Get out of your head for once," Jake teased. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Does Billy know?" I asked him. Jake nodded sadly.

"I broke the news to him yesterday when I ran home to get some clothes. He wasn't thrilled, but he kind of knew it was coming. He's not Charlie, you know? He gets it."

"I think Charlie gets it," I argued. "I think on some subconscious level, especially after these past few months with Renesmee, I think he knows that this is about something bigger than him. I think he's always known."

"Babe, he has _not_ always known, okay? Trust me," Jake scoffed, remembering when Jake had to be the one to break the news to him about vampires and werewolves. I rolled my eyes, remembering how pissed off I was at him.

"He's always been weird about Edward, though. On a human level, he didn't trust him, but there was something else. Even now, he treats me differently as a vampire than he did when I was a human. He knows," I mused.

"Yeah, it's because you're a freak," Jake chuckled. I glared at him.

"Come on, babe. It's gonna be okay," he comforted, taking my hand. I nodded. There have been so many times in my life I have had to put this stupid vampire life first, and now we were dragging so many people into the same positions I was put in as a child. The moves, the worrying. I hoped to heavens that everyone was as understanding as Jake said they were.

"We're here," Jake smiled, turning the car off and jumping out. I waited patiently for him to come around the other side, knowing that he liked to be chivalrous – sometimes. When I was human, it didn't matter because he was faster than I was. Now, it was all about little things like this to show him that I still needed him, even if he wasn't the strongest anymore.

"You okay?" Jake asked me, needlessly helping me out of the car. I nodded, smiling. I was happy to be back, I just wish it was under different circumstances. Jake smiled, knowing, and kissed me on the forehead.

"Dani!" Billy cheered from the doorway. I took a deep breath, knowing that this would be difficult. I still hadn't been exposed to many humans. Luckily, Billy's scent was tainted enough with other wolves that it didn't bother me that much. Plus, there was enough Jake that I kind of liked it.

"Hey, Billy," I greeted, but didn't take a step forward. I remembered that I never put contacts in, and it took me off guard. My eyes weren't bright red anymore, but they weren't my natural blue either.

"It's okay, it's not like he doesn't know," Jake coached from behind me. "Just take your time. You're not gonna hurt him." It reminded me of what Alice always said to Jasper. _You won't hurt him_. I felt Jake's hand on my back, and felt the pressure of his hand urging me to take a step forward.

"She's fine, Dad," Jake mumbled. I must have missed something Billy had said. "She hasn't been around humans much. She's just freaking out. She'll be fine."

"I'm fine," I repeated. I was holding my breath and trying to move at a human pace – something I also hadn't practiced all that much on my own.

"You look stunning, Danielle," Billy smiled. I returned the gesture.

"Thank you, Billy. It's nice to see you again," I greeted. This was so awkward, it was like meeting him again for the first time. Except he was my father in law, and I should definitely not be this afraid of him.

"Come on in, take a seat. I'd offer you something to drink, but they told me I wasn't allowed to donate blood anymore," Billy teased. I looked at Jake shocked, but Jake just started laughing.

"I told him not to say that," Jake defended, hands in the air. I shook my head and sat down on the couch. At least there was no animosity.

"So you're running away with my boy, huh?" Billy asked, rolling himself into the living room. I nodded.

"I'm so sorry, I was prepared to fight to stay here, but they rallied against me," I promised him. "I never wanted to split you all up."

"It's all right. It looks like Rachel and Paul are going to be around for a while, so it's not like I'm on my own. Plus, with Bella gone Charlie's gonna be moping around here more often anyways."

"You should open your own senior center," Jake mumbled from the kitchen, shoving a double decker peanut-butter and jelly sandwich down his throat.

"Jake!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, just because you're never going to get old doesn't mean the rest of us are so lucky," Billy pointed at Jake. Jake walked over to the computer on the table and started laughing.

"Dad, what the heck is this?" He chuckled.

"Jake, leave your dad alone," I warned him. I didn't want to know what he found.

"Damn it all," Billy mumbled under his breath, rolling over to the PC in the kitchen and attempting to turn it off.

"Are you seriously on ?" Jake teased. I couldn't help but giggle a little myself now that I knew what he was looking at. Billy's face turned bright red, not enough to make me want to eat him, but enough to make me uncomfortable.

"Get outta there. Didn't I teach you respect?" Billy grabbed a broomstick and started whacking Jake with it until he sat down next to me in the living room. I couldn't help the laughter that followed.

"I'm sorry, Billy, I'll have to work on him," I smiled. Billy nodded.

"By the time you all come here for Thanksgiving I want a complete turnover. I'm sure that Dr. Cullen has some good discipline styles, having had to raise all you kids."

"Dad, he didn't _raise_ them," Jake corrected, a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Actually, my dad's the softy," I smiled before Jake and Billy could get into another argument. "My mom's the disciplinarian. Growing up, if I did something bad, I _hoped_ that it was my dad that caught me. My dad just got disappointed and made you think about why what you did was wrong. My mom would take away my barbies."

"You played with Barbies?" Jake smirked. I nodded.

"Oh yeah," I smiled. "Especially in Portland. We got rid of a lot of them when we moved here."

"What could you possibly have done to get yourself in trouble?" Billy challenged. I mock zipped up my lips.

"That's a story for another day, Billy," I told him. Jake groaned.

"Ugh you're such a tease," he whined, getting up to make himself some more food, I guessed.

"I gotta say," Billy mused. "You two are a match made by the spirits."

"Literally," I smiled. "I'm so lucky I found him, Billy. And I'm so lucky that you are giving enough to give your support to this crazy ride we've been on."

"I love my son, Dani. He came home that first night and was just...destroyed. He didn't understand you. Neither of us did. I was so worried that the spirits screwed up, and gave him a girl he couldn't have. I've sacrificed a lot as a father to see him happy with you, but…Dani, don't sell yourself short. I think if anyone knows the true sacrifice of family it's you. You've done more for him than I ever could have asked of you."

"Thank you, Billy," I said quietly. "That means a lot to me."

"You know, if I didn't believe how much you loved my boy, there is no way I could let him go across this country," he warned.

"He's my life, Billy," I promised. "I'll take care of him. I'll bring him back to you, someday."

"You better," he pointed, right before Jake came back in the room with another sandwich.

"You do know we're going to a cookout in an hour, right?" I teased him. He shrugged.

"Sorry, but you guys don't go grocery shopping anymore," he said. I chuckled. I couldn't argue with that one.

* * *

"There they are!" Emily called once she saw us pull up. Rachel looked up and smiled from her seat with Paul, and came over to greet us as well. Renesmee and Seth were here too, which surprised me. I didn't think Edward and Bella would leave her here without letting me know first.

"Hey, chomper," I smiled, patting her on the head. "Are mommy and daddy here?" I asked her.

"No," she shook her head. "My Seth convinced them to let me come with him. They told me to ask Uncle Jake to drive us back afterwards."

"I'm sure Uncle Jake would love to," I told her. "Have you eaten yet?" I redirected.

"No, Grandma Sue says it isn't ready yet," Renesmee scowled, then touched my face showing me an image of a juicy hamburger. I chuckled.

"I feel you on that one, kid," I told her. "Look, why don't you go bother Uncle Jake while I go to talk to some of my friends, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled, and ran off. I walked over to where Emily was sitting with Claire and Quil.

"Hey, sweetie," She smiled, trying to hide how taken aback she was by my new appearance. She looked at me the same way others looked at her scars. With a sad sense of concern, but also beauty.

"It's okay, Emily," I told her. "This wasn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have let you go," she shook her head. "It was foolish."

"The vampire who found me – Demetri – he was a tracker. He would have ended up coming to your house and weeding me out there anyways. It was a trap," I explained to her. "I wasn't getting out of this as a human."

"Still…" she mused. "I guess there's no way to know. You're okay though, right?"

"I am," I told her. "It's challenging, but I'm doing okay. Each day gets easier. Jake still loves me, and that's more than I could ever hope for."

"I can't believe the imprint held," Emily mentioned, then tried to correct herself. "Not that you and Jake aren't perfect for each other, because you are, it's just…the way Sam has explained it to me, I didn't think it was something that would work with vampires."

"I didn't think that either," I admitted. "I was so afraid I was going to lose him. Even after he told me he was staying, I still don't know how I got so lucky."

"The spirits are wiser than all of us," Emily nodded. "There's a lot we don't understand, but have to accept as reality."

"Ain't that the truth," I smiled, then saw Sam and Billy dragging Jake over to a main area of the celebration. Jake looked beat red, and it took everything in me not to laugh my head off at how embarrassed he was. I knew I was in for it later.

"My son Jacob was destined to be great," Billy began. "From the first great Ephraim Black to the future children of my daughters, the Black line has been filled with leaders. When my beautiful wife Sarah died, Jacob stepped up to follow in these leaders' footsteps and do what is best for not only family, but community. I am proud of the accomplishments and challenges my son has faced. I am proud of him standing up for what he believes is right, even when it goes against what others believe to be true.

"While this isn't exactly the way I imagined saying goodbye to my son, I feel that the time is right. Over the past few years, I have watched my little boy – the same little boy that I used to take fishing and go hiking with – become a man. He has become a husband now, with a family of his own. It is time for him to start his own life. I am grateful you all have come here today to send him off on a high note. We are so proud of you, Jacob. We love you, son."

Jake was definitely taken aback by his dad's words. He clearly wasn't expecting any of this – he just thought he was coming for a cookout. He looked to me with tears in his eyes and without words asked me to come stand by him. I walked over and took my place by his side, wrapping me in his arms.

"Imprinting is a funny thing," he began. For an Alpha he sucked at making speeches. "From the time I was five years old, I chased after a girl I had no hopes of ever ending up with. She was beautiful, and I thought she was everything I would ever need in my life. Turns out, she wasn't. But she brought me to the woman who was. When I met Dani, I was a boy. I was selfish and I was the worst version of myself. All those things my dad said – I did my best, but while my mind was in the right place, my heart wasn't. I loved being able to take care of my dad. I loved the time we spent together, but I didn't want it to be the rest of my life.

"Dani showed me true pride in family, and true sacrifice. She fought against the imprint bond so hard, that I thought I was going to lose her. I thought she was going to be the one to actually break it. I was terrified of losing her, but I knew that the only way I could keep her in my life was to man up. I couldn't be that kid chasing after girls. I couldn't put myself first. It had to be about her. I'm not a man because I'm a Black. I'm a man, because I had a great role model in my dad, and a great woman challenge me to live up to those standards."

I leaned up to kiss him, despite the amount of eyes that were on us. I couldn't resist. My man was incredible.

"I hope Dr. and Mrs. Cullen are prepared to deal with the PDA as much as I've had to deal with it," Billy rolled his eyes. "Come on, you too, break it up."

"Sorry, Billy," I smiled. He shook his head. He knew I wasn't sorry.

"Cheers to Jacob on his new adventure!" Billy called, and everyone took a drink.

"Cheers to Seth on following his heart!" Sue added, hugging her son.

"Cheers to us, babe," Jacob smiled, reaching down and kissing me again.

"Cheers," I smiled and kissed him back.


	15. The Presidential Treatment

The Presidential Treatment

Fun fact: it takes 48 hours to drive cross country from Forks, Washington to Lebanon, New Hampshire. In theory, since we _are_ vampires and all, we should actually be able to make it in the 48 hour (or less) time frame. However, add in two cranky newborns and an annoyed werewolf, and it would be a part of anyone's nightmare.

Whenever we moved before, I was always able to fly. Jasper, Emmett, and Edward would take a U-Haul and drive our furniture to our destination while my parents, sisters, and I got the luxury of first class air-travel. Unfortunately, as my self-control was not nearly good enough to sit on a secluded tube for five hours, flying was not an option this time. At least, not for me. This time, I got to travel with my parents, Jake, and Ryan in our own vehicle while Jasper and Emmett drove the U-Haul and Edward, Bella, Renesmee, and Seth flew. Honestly, I didn't care about not killing people. If I could only have one reason to get my thirst under control, this would be it. Because I was losing my mind.

"Are we there yet?" Ryan whined for the twelfth time this hour.

"Be quiet, Jake's sleeping," I smacked him, earning a growl. I saw Mom glare at me through the rearview mirror and pulled my hand away, retreating into the convenient third seat of Edward's Volvo. I sighed and looked over at Jake. He was absolutely a trooper for going through this with me.

"He's always sleeping," Ryan complained. At least Jake wasn't snoring, then I _really_ wouldn't hear the end of it.

"I would too if I could, since it means I don't have to listen to your whining," I spat back at him.

"Enough," Mom vocalized from the front seat. I leaned over onto Jake, and he instinctually moved his arm so he was protectively holding me.

"Seriously, though, where are we?" Ryan asked again, a little more appropriately.

"We're about an hour away from our first culture stop," Dad smirked, looking at me. I looked back at him confused.

"I thought we were only stopping for Jake?" I questioned. I really didn't want to elongate this any more than necessary. From the sound of Ryan's groans, he didn't either.

"You're well-traveled, love, but there's things that even you haven't seen. We thought we'd use this as an opportunity to show you some great American sights," Mom beamed. She was actually so excited for this, and it forced me to get at least a little excited as well. _Of course they're doing this for me_ , I thought to myself.

"So where are we going?" I asked them. Ryan gave me a weird look, and I could tell he was judging me for giving into them, but I didn't care. After being in a car with him for 21 and a half hours, Ryan could go fuck himself.

"You'll see when we get there. You should wake Jacob up though, sweetie. We're all going to need to put on jackets," Mom explained.

"Jake," I whispered, rubbing his arm. I should have known that a soft-awakening wasn't going to be enough for him. He moved a little bit, but not nearly enough to be considered conscious.

"Dani," Jake mumbled back in his sleep. I rolled my eyes.

"Aww, that's cute. He's dreaming about you," Ryan winked. "I have those dreams sometimes too," he suggested. I hissed at him.

"You're sick," I spat. Ryan shrugged.

"To each their own, I suppose."

"Ryan, that's enough," Dad warned.

"Jake, wake up," I shoved him a little bit. You would think that now I was stronger he would feel more of my efforts to get him up, but even that failed.

"Bite him," Ryan suggested. This time, I had enough. I snapped a leg off of the table that was behind us and before he could blink stabbed Ryan in the back of the shoulder.

"Ouch, what the-" Before Ryan could react, Dad had pulled the car over on the highway and was pulling Ryan out of the car and into the woods. Good, let him deal with him. I thought I was off the hook, but Mom was giving me a look that said I was in just as much trouble.

"What in the world made you think that was a good idea?" She questioned.

"You're the one who stuck me in a car with him! He's so annoying!" I complained.

"You have better self-control than he does. You need to ignore him," Mom sighed.

"Mom, you heard what he was saying," I argued. "How am I supposed to ignore that? He's lucky Jake was asleep or it would have been even worse!"

"I agree, and your father is talking to him. I'll text Emmett and Jasper to see if they can take him for the rest of the trip. I think the two of you need some space," Mom offered.

"Thank you!" I said with a little too much attitude, earning another glare. "Jake, wake up!" I yelled, too annoyed to be nice about it any longer. Any patience I had was completely ruined.

"Do you want to take a walk, too?" Mom offered, trying not to laugh. Jake was slowly waking up, confused as to why we were parked on the side of the highway fighting.

"No, I'm good," I grumbled, and curled up into Jake who patted my back, still very confused.

"So…where are we?" Jake asked, and my only answer for him was a slap upside the head.

* * *

"This is incredible!" I squealed, causing Jake to cringe beside me.

"I don't know who any of these people are," Ryan complained. I rolled my eyes. _Damn I_ _talian_.

"That," I pointed to the figure on the left, "Is George Washington. He led the militia for the American fight for Independence from Great Britain, and then became the United States' first president."

"Is he still alive?" Ryan asked, stupidly.

"Ryan, the United States became a country in 1776. No, he is not still alive. Anyways," I continued, "The next guy is Thomas Jefferson. He wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the third president."

"Are they all presidents?" Ryan asked.

"Yes!" I geeked out. I was actually really happy we were here.

"The other two are Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was president when slavery in the United States was abolished, and Teddy Roosevelt strengthened our foreign policy," I explained. Ryan looked bored out of my mind, and it only made me happier.

"And you were alive for all four of them," Jake smirked at my dad. I nudged him.

"Yes, yes I was," Dad mused.

"You weren't in the US, though?" I questioned him. I wasn't sure when exactly he moved here, but I knew it was a long time ago.

"Oh, no, I was," Dad chuckled. "I moved to the US before it was the US – 1724."

"Ew, you're so old," I teased him. Dad shrugged.

"Yes, I suppose I am," he smiled.

"How you liking Mt. Rushmore, kid?" Emmett boomed from behind us. I snapped my head around – probably a little too fast – before he put me into a headlock. I easily pushed my way out of it, something I was never able to do as a human.

"I love it!" I smiled, earning laughter all around.

"My little history nerd," Jasper smirked.

"So…Emmett wasn't alive for any of these, and Mom wasn't alive for any of these, but Jasper, you were alive under Lincoln and Roosevelt, right?"

"That's right," he drawled. "Although, I didn't like Lincoln very much at the time."

"Because you were a mean southerner," I stuck my tongue out. This wasn't the first time he and I had this argument. First, we grew up in very different times. Second, I was born and raised in fairly liberal areas while Jasper was born and raised in conservative Texas. There were no hard feelings, either way.

"I said at the time," Jazz defended. "How are you holding up? You good to walk a little more?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. All of this excitement is very distracting. Plus, having Jake close masks everyone else a little bit," I said as I looked around. There were really only two or three other groups of tourists here other than us. It was the middle of winter in the northern United States. Not many people wanted to be hiking mountains right now.

"Well, we'll take Ry-guy here and hit the road. Someone needs to be able to get to New Hampshire in time to pick up the ladies and Ed-meister from the airport," Emmett directed, clapping Ryan on the back. From the looks of it, Dad had filled Emmett and Jasper in on today's excitement.

"Meno male!" Ryan exclaimed in Italian. It was honestly the first time I could recall him speaking the language.

"Welcome to America!" I called out to him as he walked away. I chuckled.

"Hey, Esme, do you mind if I hit a restroom before we head out?" Jake asked. Mom shook her head.

"Of course not, take your time. I'm sure Dani would love to be here for a little while longer," Mom smiled. I nodded.

"For real, don't rush," I pecked him on the cheek. He squinted his eyes.

"Was that…?" He asked I shook my head.

"Go!" I told him and he held his hands up and walked towards the visitor's center.

"So how many of these types of stops do you have planned?" I turned on my parents once Jake was out of earshot. Dad shrugged, and looked at Mom.

"You'll just have to wait and find out, love," he smiled. No Ryan, and more pit stops like this? I might just enjoy this road trip after all.


	16. Katherine

KATHERINE

"Oh my God," I whispered as the city skyline appeared in the distance. I knew instantly where our next stop was going to be. It was a place that appeared in my dreams – a place that I always had a sick desire to return to, but never thought I'd actually have the balls to do it.

"You okay?" Jake asked, feeling me tense up. I had tangled myself up in his arms almost as soon as we left Mt. Rushmore, and I hadn't left until now. I saw Dad glance at the rear-view mirror and I met his eyes. He was just as nervous as I was.

"I think so," I mumbled. "Why are we here?" I asked my dad.

"It's on the way," he explained. "Your mom and I thought we would give you the option to spend some time here. We can see as much or as little as you want."

"Are we going back to…?" I trailed off. Faded memories of my childhood home flooded my brain. I didn't know if I'd be able to go back there.

"If you want to, sweetie," Mom emphasized. "Edward's old home is here too, we thought you'd want to see that. Plus, we thought you might want to visit your mom and grandmother."

I hesitated on that one. I could sense Jake's confusion beside me.

"You're from Chicago?" Jake asked. I nodded.

"This is where I grew up, before I was adopted," I whispered. I hadn't been here since. We moved to Portland very quickly after the car accident, before anyone could ask any questions. My grandmother died a few years later. There was no reason for me to come back.

"We can go to Edward's house," I decided. I didn't think I could handle the other things right now. Jake took my hand and squeezed it. I squeezed back. I would be okay.

* * *

We pulled up beside an old townhouse. It was three or four stories, and had definitely been renovated since 1918. I wasn't sure who the owner was at this point, nor was I sure of who the last Masen family owner was.

"You met Edward's mom, right?" I asked my dad. He nodded.

"Elizabeth was a wonderful woman," he said. "You remind me a lot of her, actually. Most of the Masen women tend to do that, I've been told."

"Did Edward live here?" Jake asked. I nodded.

"He lived here with his parents, and his little sister – my great-grandmother," I pointed out. "His dad died in the first wave of the Spanish Influenza plague. His mom died a few years after, and then Edward. My great-grandmother was the only survivor," I explained, repeating the history I discovered only a few years ago.

"Wow," Jake mused. "But Edward didn't die?"

"His mother asked me to save him," Dad explained. "It was her wish that I turn him. I don't know how she knew, but she did. She begged me to save her son. I was desperate for a companion, so I took it as a sign. I'm still not sure if it was the right decision…" Dad mused. "Still, changing Edward was one of the best things I have ever done. He was my first son. He was a part of my family before even Esme," Dad smirked.

"Damn," Jake mumbled. "Can we go in?"

"Maybe let's not go into a place where people died of the plague," I suggested.

"It's not like you can get it," Jake countered. I rolled my eyes.

" _We_ can't," I argued. "You still can. Plus, it's creepy. Edward's dad died in this house."

"I think it's occupied anyways," Mom spoke up. "It's best that we don't disturb the current residents."

"It's up to you where we go next, Dani," Dad agreed. "I do want to let you know, though, that your house is unoccupied. If you want, we can go there. We can do whatever you're comfortable with."

I stood there quietly for a few moments, contemplating whether or not I really wanted to see my old house. When I thought of my old house, I couldn't help but think of Peter, and the debacle I just got myself out of. I couldn't help but think of that creepy smirk on his face, and the fact that he was a tracker. What if he _was_ here?

"Dani?" Dad asked, after a moment. I was hardly paying attention to him.

"What's going on, babe?" Jake asked, rubbing my back.

"I don't want to go to the house," I decided. "I can't, not after everything that just happened. Maybe someday, but not…just not right now."

"Okay, we don't have to go, sweetie," Mom nodded in understanding. My eyes met Jake's, and his were a sea of worry. I hated doing this to him.

"I want to leave," I added. I hated that I was caught in a surprise like this. I wanted to just get to New Hampshire and move on. I didn't like Jake seeing me like this.

"Babe, I think while we're here we should visit your mom," Jake whispered beside me. "I know you don't want to, and I know you're upset right now, but I know that if we don't go now, it's just going to get harder. Trust me." I took a deep breath, trying to ground myself. Jake wasn't saying this as my husband. I mean, maybe he was, but he was mostly saying it as someone who also lost a mother at a young age. It was hard to remember that his mom died when he was eight. We were connected that way. Three years wasn't a very long time difference.

"I don't know if I can," I shuddered. "I mean, her body…" I shook my head. There wasn't a body. She didn't survive the accident. The nomad killed her. Jasper and Emmett had to torch our car to destroy the evidence. My mom's body was dust in the dirt on the ground off of some highway in Chicago.

"Your grandmother payed for a memorial service and funeral," Dad answered. "She has a nice gravestone in the Masen family plot. There are memorials there for Elizabeth, Edward Sr., and Edward, as well as graves for your great grandmother and grandmother as well. The Masen family was very matrilineal," Dad lightened at the end.

"I'd like to meet your mom," Jake encouraged. "I think she'd like to see you too."

"She's right here," I pointed at my vampire mom. "I don't need anyone else."

"Okay, I'd like to meet the woman who gave birth to my amazing wife," Jake reworded. "If you don't go to introduce us, I can always go by myself and tell her all the embarrassing stories I have of you…" He trailed. I rolled my eyes and nudged him.

"Fine," I grumbled. "We can go."

* * *

"Give her some space, Jacob," Dad whispered to my husband. They were quite a ways away, but Jake was eager to come over to me. Mom and Dad wanted me to have some alone time, first. These were my ancestors. The people who genetically predisposed me to so many things that I am. At least, the good things in my opinion. I can't imagine I got any good in me from Peter.

I looked at one of the memorial gravestones. It was faded – the Masen line died with my grandmother, so there has been no upkeep. It said:

IN MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FAMILY: EDWARD MASEN SR., ELIZABETH MASEN, AND EDWARD MASEN, JR. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND HOLD YOU UNTIL WE CAN BE TOGETHER AGAIN.

"Damn, great-grammy," I whispered, remembering my childhood name for her. "Your literacy skills were on point."

"She was – went on to write a few books too," a voice came out from behind the stone, and I screamed, literally flying back to where Mom, Dad, and Jake were standing. By the time I looked up, everyone was laughing, especially the figure that was now leaning against the memorial.

"What the fuck, Edward?!" I yelled at him, running back over and shoving him. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a hug. I tried to push away, but I couldn't untangle myself.

"How do you like the great city of Chicago?" He asked.

"It was fine until you got here," I teased. "I thought you were on an airplane to New Hampshire?"

"I got off at the layover and switched to O'Hare. Seth, Rosalie and Alice are more than capable of taking care of Bella and Rosalie until I return," Edward explained.

"Great, so we ditched one pain in the ass for another," I heard Jake mumble. I tried my best not to chuckle, but I couldn't help it.

"Watch it, dog, or you'll be walking to New Hampshire," Edward threatened.

"Take it easy," I warned, scanning the gravestones again.

"Was Anna your sister?" I asked, tracing her name. She was next to the memorial. Edward nodded.

"She was five years younger than me. She was away in England when the Influenza struck. She wanted to come back to help, but my parents forbade her. My mother even said she would rather her daughter be on the battlefield than come home," Edward mused. "I can't say I disagreed, now knowing the outcome."

"Same," I agreed. "I'm glad she didn't die, either."

"So who's George?" Jake asked.

"Her husband. George and Anna gave birth to Elizabeth, who was Dani's grandmother," Edward explained. I nodded. Great-grampy George died before I was born, but I think I overlapped with great-grammy Anna a little bit. My mom and grandma Ellie used to tell me a lot of stories about her.

"And Elizabeth was married to Richard…" Jake was putting the pieces together, walking down the line of stones.

"Who gave birth to Katherine," I added, finally reaching her spot. "My biological mother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Katherine," Jake bowed at the gravestone. I squinted at him.

"You really don't need to do that," I told him. "You look like a goofball, actually."

"Hey," Jake scowled. "This woman gave birth to my wife, who is the most incredible woman I have ever met. She is the reason I get to wake up smiling every morning and kiss your incredible lips, run my fingers through your soft hair, and then hear your adorable giggles. She deserves some respect."

"Yes, sir," I smirked, then bent down on my own. I drew a heart on the dirt. Jake was right. I didn't know how much I needed this until I was here. Seeing Peter gave me closure that my father was a grade A asshole. Even as a vampire, there were no redeeming qualities in him. My memories of him were accurate – I didn't need him. My mom, however, didn't deserve to die that night. She deserved to have a long, healthy life. She was a good woman who got tied up with the wrong guy. I missed her. I missed her smile, and I missed her warmth. I missed the sound of her voice, and the way she used to sing me to sleep when I was scared.

Esme was a wonderful mother to me, and I would forever be grateful to her for taking me in and raising me as her own. She did plenty of wonderful motherly things. I loved her. She _is_ my mom. Katherine wouldn't want me with anyone else.

"I love you, mommy," I whispered, placing my own kiss on the gravestone. If I were a human, I would have cried a little bit. Even after thirteen years, it hadn't hit me how much I missed her. Probably because I had so many other things to worry about. Still, it didn't change the fact that I wished she was here with me.

"I wish I could introduce you all to her in person," I said, standing back up and facing my family. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome, love," Dad smiled. "We figured it was time you had some closure in your life."

"Let's go home," Mom smiled, pulling me into a hug. I nodded. It was another fifteen hours to Lebanon, but then our life would reset again. It would be a new series of adventures that I couldn't wait to begin. I had the closure I needed, and now I could move on with my life on the East Coast.


	17. Alone Time

Our new home was absolutely beautiful. It was privately situated on nearly 26 acres of land – plenty of space for us to all be ourselves. There was more than enough woodlands around, which would make hunting just as easy as it was in Forks. We were in the heart of the White Mountains, and I loved it.

The house itself was also gorgeous. It was three stories, with three bedrooms, five bathrooms, and countless family spaces. The master bedroom was going to be my parents' bedroom, one bedroom was for Jake and I, and the other was for Ryan. Even though there wasn't individual rooms for the rest of my family, I knew they would find themselves here often.

As a matter of fact, they were all waiting for us when we arrived.

"Hey, Alice!" I called when I finally made my way out of the car. If I had been a human, my ass and legs would have been killing me with how long we were sitting for. Luckily, I wasn't, and I was able to bounce right over. She pulled me into a hug and smiled.

"Jasper said you looked like you were having a great time. I saw some of it, but I'd love to hear it from you," Alice cheered.

"Mt. Rushmore was incredible, and it was really nice to see my mom in Chicago," I told her. "I don't know how much of a role you had in all of that, but thank you."

"They were going to take you to see DC, New York, and Boston too, but I told them it would be too much. We're on the east coast now, we can do those trips another time. Don't think you're not going shopping with me in New York soon."

"I can't wait," I said sarcastically. "Can I see the inside of my new house, now?"

"Of course! I haven't touched anything in your room yet, I mostly just did the living room and main living spaces."

"Thanks, Alice," I smiled before walking in, Jacob in tow.

"This might even be bigger than your old house," Jacob claimed, looking around. It was definitely bigger than _his_ old house. He reminded me of little orphan Annie entering Warbuck's mansion for the first time. Looking around all wide eyed.

The foyer and living area was already filled with our furniture. A lot of it was replaced to match the style of the new home. We went from modern to more of a rustic cabin style, so of course the furniture had to reflect that.

"Wanna check out our room?" I whispered suggestively in Jake's ear. He immediately turned his attention to me, and nodded, practically dragging me up the stairs.

We got up and opened the doors, continuing until we found an empty room. There was more room than I had before, and for that I was grateful. I noticed that I had been upgraded to a queen sized bed, the perfect size for Jake and I. Well, mostly Jake, actually. The bed was in the center, but there was still a bureau for our clothes. There was no more desk, but there was room for one if I decided I needed it. Honestly, I didn't know how much homework I'd be doing for a while. Something told me I would have to wait a bit before I went back for my diploma.

Jake came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, startling me a little, but his scent was enough to keep me from thinking he was dangerous. He kissed my neck, sucking a little, and the sensation was like fire from the inside out. I wanted him, and I wanted him now.

I pushed him down on the unmade bed – a little too rough, I realized – and jumped on top of him. I could feel him under me, and I knew my icy skin was making this experience just as new for him as his firey skin was new to me.

"Howdy, neighbor," Ryan greeted in his thick Italian accent, walking right in on what was about to be the best sex I had ever had.

"Are you kidding me?" Jake groaned. "I'm gonna kill this kid!"

"Get out Ryan," I growled at him, not taking my eyes off of Jake. If anything, I was going to need to hold him down.

"I just wanted to welcome you to our new abode, and remind you of who is next door," he winked. "I've always wondered what you would sound like in-"

"Don't finish that sentence," I hissed. I could feel Jake start to shake under me. This wasn't going to end well.

"Ryan, come help me unpack the car," I heard my mom call from downstairs. I sighed. _Please do what she says._

"I look forward to our journey together, Danielle," Ryan hinted on his way out.

"I look forward to kicking your ass," Jake mumbled, still below me.

"I'll hold him down," I added, looking to make sure Ryan was gone. We went back to making out, but when Jake went to start taking clothes off, I just couldn't do it.

"What?" Jake asked, sitting up. I groaned and rolled over onto the plastic covered mattress, which was much more uncomfortable than I planned on it being.

"I can't," I whined. I couldn't stop thinking about Ryan perversely listening in on our "us time."

"What can't you do? I do most of the work anyways," Jake teased, kissing me and flipping on top. It felt good, but I couldn't get Ryan out of my head.

"He can hear us, he's right next door," I complained.

"Having someone next door hasn't stopped us before," Jake pointed out, not stopping. I was seriously going to combust.

"It's _Ryan_ , though," I complained, moving out from underneath him. "I can't give him the satisfaction of hearing _that_. I'll never hear the end of it."

"So what, we're going to live together, share a bed together, but never have sex again?" Jake argued. I sighed.

"I don't know," I admitted. "We used to just do it at your house, you know? It was private…"

"Except for my dad!" Jake laughed, probably remembering the countless times Billy walked in on us during our human escapades.

"Okay, but that's Billy. He also doesn't have super hearing," I pointed out.

"Your parents would never say anything, either," Jake ran his fingers through my hair, taking away some of my stress. "Your mom is occupying the psycho, and everyone else is unpacking. This might be the _only_ time we have to ourselves for a while. Besides, if he says anything, I'll make him disappear," Jake shrugged, kissing me. I smiled and kissed him back.

"You're the best husband in the world, you know that?" I asked him.

"Sure, sure," Jake kissed my forehead. "Now shut up and take your pants off."


	18. Monster

MONSTER

"Jake, I'm so sorry," I cried from the corner of the room. Jasper was babysitting me. That was what I deserved right now. I was so stupid.

"Ouch, doc," Jake cursed. I cringed. This was all my fault. "It's okay, Dani," he tried to comfort. He was in pain, though. So much pain.

"Dani, let's go for a walk," Jasper suggested. I shook my head.

"I'm not leaving him," I asserted.

"I'm not asking, little darlin', come on," he held out his hand. Jake cursed again as my dad prodded another bone that I broke. I angrily followed after Jasper.

* * *

"It's not your fault," Jasper said once we got outside. I growled at him. Of course this was my fault. How couldn't it be? I was so stupid!  
"You're not stupid," Edward said from the doorway. "And he doesn't blame you, so stop thinking like that. It's only making things worse."

"It took you, Jasper, _and_ Emmett to finally pull me off of him! I was breaking him and I didn't even realize it I was just so…ugh!" It was so embarrassing. I was so 'in the moment' that I didn't realize I was killing my husband. He was telling me to stop and I couldn't hear him. It wasn't until I had my entire family interrupting our alone time that I realized I went too far.

"Nobody blames you," Edward attempted to comfort. "It's a natural instinct. Your emotions are heightened. You're still very much a newborn."

"Stop pretending that's an excuse!" I yelled at him. I felt waves of calm come over me, but I did my best to push them away. In fact, it only made me that much more angry. If they weren't my brothers, they wouldn't be going so easy on me.

"I was in control! I was in control when I was around humans and I have been in control of my emotions for weeks now! I was being so careful and then he just looks at me with those big brown eyes and I just fucking lost it!" I started kicking things. I was having a full on temper tantrum, just like I was three years old again. I didn't care. I was so furious with myself.

It didn't help that my dad was inside re-breaking Jacob's bones. Again. Part of me tried to ignore the screams. The other part of me believed I deserved hearing them.

"Just let her get it out," someone whispered. I was still screaming and kicking things. I was crying, but nothing was coming out of my eyes, making for a very uncomfortable sensation. I finally just sat on the ground and held my head in my hands. I messed up. I hurt him.

* * *

It took another hour and a half before I could pull myself together enough to actually look at those who were around me. I was "swimming in my grief" I heard someone say at one point.

"Dani, Jake wants to see you," a soothing voice whispered. I couldn't see him. I couldn't see him all bandaged and bruised. I could remember how he looked the last time a vampire hurt him. The only difference was this time it was me. His wife. The person who was supposed to support him and be by his side and protect him.

"Danielle," someone grabbed my hands, and tilted my chin to look at them – I was expecting my Dad, but it was still Jasper. "Trust me when I say for a newborn, this is minimal. Jacob knew better, and yeah, so did you, but we could have done more on our part to make sure nothing went wrong. We didn't step in soon enough. This is not your fault and I know nothing I say will ever make you believe that, but please, believe me when I say that Jacob still loves you. He is worried about you, we all are. Don't disappear on us," he squeezed my hands. I could feel the love flowing through them. Physical contact made his talent stronger. I couldn't fight it this time.

"What if it wasn't Jacob, though?" I asked, this thought haunting me. "What if that happens the next time I want to go shopping with Alice, or go for a walk? I don't want to be in a cage for the rest of my life because I can't control myself. It might not be lust either, it could be anger or sadness, anything! I could kill someone," I shuddered. Jasper shook his head, and someone else put their hands on my shoulders. More physical contact. Maybe they _were_ afraid I would run away.

"We would _never_ let that happen," Jasper affirmed.

"You promised me that _this_ would never happen!" I yelled, standing up. I felt more arms on me.

"Okay, let's play that game. Do you know how many people I've killed? Innocent people?" Jasper was frustrated now. "How many people Edward and Emmett have killed? Esme? How many times has Alice had to leave a situation because she _saw_ herself drinking from the vein? You are not the only one to have been through this, Dani. I know you're scared. I _know_. But still, you have to understand that this is normal. Painfully, frighteningly normal. You're _not_ a human anymore. You are not even a fully developed vampire yet. You are a newborn. Newborns kill people. They hurt people. That is what the universe created us to do, and we are fighting that nature."

"We will do everything we can to make sure that you are safe, and those around you are safe," Alice whispered, stepping into view after hearing her husband's speech. "I'm so sorry this happened, and I wish we could promise that it won't happen again, but it could. The more control you have, the easier it gets."

"You've done so well, darling," Mom comforted. "This was one slip up, and it wasn't fatal. Your husband is still there, waiting for you. Take some time for yourself, but he needs you to be with him, too."

I nodded. I didn't really have much to say after that. I had never seen Jasper get so up in anyone's face before. I was a little scared, but maybe that was what I needed.

* * *

"Hey, Jake," I whispered, walking back into the house. My tantrum was over. I didn't feel good about what happened, but I felt better about it. Jasper was right. This was who I was now. A monster.

"Dani," he sat up from the couch, relieved to see me. I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath. I could tell by the look in his eyes that I hurt him more by not being there for him than I had by breaking his bones. He reached for my hand, but I stepped away. More pain shot through his eyes.

"You're never going to let me touch you again, are you?" He asked, disappointed.

"Jake, I…" I couldn't finish. He was a werewolf. His _job_ was to fight creatures like me, and he still couldn't handle my strength. How could I ever be around humans? The whole situation gave me much more appreciation for Edward's relationship with Bella.

"I love you," Jake whispered, trying to find my eyes. My stupid eyes that were still a God awful red color. Fitting for the monster I was. "You can break every bone in my body and I will _still_ love you. This isn't your fault."

"How are you feeling?" I redirected. The bones should be healing by now.

"I'll be good as new by tomorrow morning," he tried to smile. "It wasn't as bad as last time. It still sucked, but you didn't break as many bones as the other leech did. Only a few."

"You don't have to put on a face for me, Jake," I told him.

"Stop," he shook his head. "Just stop. Stop doubting yourself. You're my imprint, I know you. You're going through our entire relationship wondering how I could possibly still be here. Guess what? I'm going to be healed in the morning, and I will still be here and I will still be your husband."

"I take you away from your family, I break you…I'm a monster," I shuddered. Jake growled.

"Don't say that ever again," he asserted.

"You were always right about us," I choked. "We are leeches, monsters, creatures that shouldn't exist. We go against nature."

"Do you regret becoming a vampire?" Jake asked me.

"I didn't have a choice, Jacob," I hissed at him. He knew that. It made all of this so much worse. I never wanted this life for myself.

"I don't. I don't regret telling Carlisle to change you. I don't regret not losing you. I would rather have this version of you than no version at all. If that means that sometimes you kill people, well then sometimes you kill people. I'll help you bury the body. We can be Bonnie and Clyde," he chuckled, and I couldn't help but smile a little bit. He never ceased to amaze me with how well he was able to say exactly what I needed to hear.

"Bonnie and Clyde were robbers," I corrected him. Jake rolled his eyes.

"They still killed people," he acknowledged. I had to give him that. "We're in this together. No more wallowing in your own self-pity. We've talked about this. Okay?"

"Okay."


	19. Good Day

GOOD DAY

It had been exactly a month since the incident, and while things should have been getting better, it seemed they were only getting worse.

Jake was right, I hardly let him near me. Physical touch was crucial to imprints, so there were times it got so bad I just had to hold his hand, but I panicked the entire time. Touching him, it didn't feel _good_ anymore. It made me relax in so many ways, but that voice in the back of my head was still there: _you're going to hurt him again, you freak. Every time you touch him, you're putting him in danger._

I guess all of this is how I ended up on a hunting trip with my mom. She took me deep into the mountains, and unleashed me. She said I could do anything I needed to do, and say anything I needed to say. It was just the two of us.

I hunted for about an hour, when I looked into the eyes of the deer I killed. All I could think of was Bambi, and it added to everything I was already feeling.

"I'm broken," I admitted to the mountains, and to Bambi. I wasn't angry at myself anymore. I didn't feel like kicking down trees or smashing rocks. My temper tantrums were long gone. I just felt empty. I felt like I didn't belong here. That maybe, I wasn't meant to be a vampire at all. I spoke so softly, I could barely hear myself. I was surprised when I heard my mom's voice in the distance.

"You're not," she insisted, speeding towards me. "Everyone struggles."

"You keep saying that, but I just can't wrap my head around it. I'm a mess," I let out a pitiful chuckle. Mom shook her head and wrapped me in her arms. It still surprised me how normal she felt. I had gotten used to her arms being stone cold and rock solid. Now that we were the same species, she was warm and soft, just like a mother should be.

"You are a mess," she affirmed, kissing my forehead. "You're a beautiful mess, and I am so proud of how well you are handling all of this. I was so worried about you…" she trailed off.

"Mom," I groaned. She was getting all sappy on me.

"I mean it," she rubbed my arms. "You're so different from your siblings," she chuckled now, curling my hair behind my ear as she spoke. "Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, even Alice, they've all killed people, love. Even I have. Your dad is the only one who hasn't. Edward killed purposefully – he picked the ones he thought didn't deserve to live. Rosalie as well. She was all about revenge. Emmett? He tried so hard, but he just couldn't resist the temptation. You know Jasper's story, and Alice – she's had her slip ups as well. Still, you're the most remorseful out of all of them. I feel like we're a little bit to blame for that," she softened. I started to get defensive, but she stopped me.

"We've told you this a thousand times, but it's the truth. You have never seen a newborn vampire, sweetheart. Bella – although she was new, had impeccable self-control. Your mental image of a vampire is one who is more controlled than average. You're pushing yourself too hard, baby, and it's destroying you. We've all seen it, and we're all worried. We were worried before last month, and we're particularly worried now. You have to let yourself be who you truly are," she encouraged. "You have to let yourself be a vampire."

"I don't know how not to hurt him, Mom," I mumbled into her arms. She nodded, and pat my head. "I don't know how to be his wife anymore."

Mom pulled me away, and gave me a stern look. "Nothing about your relationship with Jacob has changed. You are still his imprint, and he still loves you more than anything. What are you possibly worried about?"

"That I'm not enough," I admitted. "That I pulled him away from his home, and his family, and the human that he fell in love with. I can't give him children anymore, hell, I can't even have sex with him!" I said that last part without thinking and hid my face a little bit, embarrassed.

"The best part about your relationship is that Jacob is immortal now. He can wait for you, and he _will_ ," Mom stressed. "You're going to be fine, love."

"Thanks, momma," I whispered. "I needed this."

"I know," she smiled. "I'm your mom."

* * *

When we got back to the house, everyone was there. Edward, Bella, Seth, and Renesmee had moved into a small home of their own closer to Dartmouth. Edward and Bella would take classes during the day, and Seth (who was still working on getting a driver's license) would drive her to our house so that Mom could homeschool her. Seth and Jacob could hang out, and Mom would get to spend time with her granddaughter.

Jasper and Alice moved into their own place as well, a small apartment that Alice decked out. Alice was starting out an Etsy business with clothing designs, and wanted me to help her. I felt more inclined to help Jasper escape than to help her make clothes, but she threatened me with every possible punishment if I took his side over hers.

As for Emmett and Rosalie, they were going to take this time to travel again. They were going to stay for the rest of the semester while everyone got settled, but this summer they were going to fly to Australia and spend time there. I was anxious about the trip, particularly since I could remember clearly the last time we were all so divided, but Rosalie assured me that they would be back sooner than I knew it.

"Welcome back," Jake smiled when I walked through the door. I looked disgusting, and I needed a shower, but he didn't seem to mind. He hesitated before hugging me, but I remembered what my mom said. I couldn't ruin my life because I was afraid of being who I was. He was a werewolf, he would heal again.

Jake seemed surprised when I pecked him on the lips. "I must have done something really good to deserve that," he commented. I shook my head.

"I haven't been fair to you. I might not be able to be like this every day, but I'm trying," I told him. He nodded.

"So today was a good day?" He asked. I pulled him closer and nuzzled my head into his neck, just like I used to.

"Today was a good day," I confirmed. Hopefully, every day would be a good day from here on out.

 **A/N: I'm having trouble figuring out what I want to do with this story to keep it interesting, so I'm reaching out to you all. What would you like to see more of? Any particular moments you'd like to see? Any conflicts? Let me know, and I'll do my best to fill them in! Peace, Lexi.**


	20. Hey, Brother

HEY, BROTHER

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I smiled, running my fingers through Jake's hair as he awoke. It had been a good few weeks. I was in more control of my body, and felt more comfortable around my husband. He was patient as ever, and I was forever grateful for it.

"Mornin'," he grumbled, rolling over to face me. I chuckled. One of my new favorite things was watching him sleep. I had an infinite amount of things I could do at night – practice control, learn a new skill, take online classes, etc. – yet all I wanted to do was watch Jake. It was the only time he truly looked at peace with this world.

He pecked me on the lips, and I smiled even more. He tucked a piece of hair behind my head, and I leaned into his hand gently.

"You're amazing," he whispered, staring at me like I was a goddess.

"Stop it," I told him. "Do you want breakfast?" I asked him. I could hear Mom puttering around downstairs, but I wasn't sure if she was making anything or not.

"I'm good for a little while," he said, pulling me closer to him. I groaned.

"Jake, we can't," I rubbed his arm. I just got comfortable with the small things again, I couldn't risk the big thing right now.

"I know," he comforted. "That doesn't mean I can't get a better look at you," he winked. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you want, a strip show?" I teased back, giggling like a school girl. Jake shrugged.

"It doesn't involve touching," he pressed. I shook my head. _Of course he found a loophole_ , I groaned to myself. I sighed and walked into my new closet, finding the sexiest outfit I could find. Luckily, Alice was one step ahead of me as usual. I was almost completely changed when I heard the front door smash open.

"Ryan, you need to calm down," I heard Jasper say to him. There were others in the house too. I immediately became alert. I could hear Jake shuffle around in the bedroom as well.

"I fucking killed someone!" Ryan growled, and there was more crashing downstairs. Jasper yelled for Emmett to restrain him. Ryan _killed_ someone?

"Dani," Jake whispered, knowing I could hear him. I covered up with a robe, the best I could do under the circumstances, and rushed out to him. Despite me being stronger, he pushed me back.

"Habit," he shrugged. I rolled my eyes.

"I should go check on him," I mentioned. Jake held me back.

"They've got him, don't get involved," Jake warned. I shook my head.

"I'm under control," I promised. "Maybe he'll listen to me."

"Not in that he won't," Jake pointed towards my outfit. The robe wasn't exactly covering much, unfortunately.

"Then I'll change," I stuck my tongue out, grabbing my clothes from earlier. I quickly switched outfits and headed downstairs before Jake could disagree with me again.

* * *

The sight downstairs was frighteningly familiar to when Ryan and I were trapped in Peter's basement, and it irked me.

"It's necessary," Edward mentioned as I came downstairs.

"Is it, though? He's not an animal," I complained, walking over to Ryan, who was breathing heavily in a chair. In the moment, he had destroyed most of what was around him.

"I fucked up, _Principessa_ ," Ryan mumbled from his chair. His head was hanging low. Jasper stationed near him. I didn't believe that Mom and Dad were home, although I was sure they would be shortly.

"You can't change who you are, Ryan," I whispered to him softly. I could hear Jake's steps coming down the stairs. I felt terrible for Ryan. I had barely hurt Jake, and I was a mess inside for weeks. I couldn't imagine what it felt like to actually lose so much control you took a life away.

"I'm a monster, just like _queri Volturi bastardi_ ," He grumbled.

"You're nothing like them," I promised him. Yes, Ryan in many ways was a pain in the ass, but he wasn't a monster. He didn't kill for fun. He wasn't them.

"She was a mother," Ryan looked up at me, finally. I held his gaze in my eyes, and for once, I didn't see the annoying boy who had been a part of my life for what felt like years. I saw a young boy who had grown up in a terrible situation. A boy with a mother who was a slave to vampires, and was killed because of it.

"You didn't mean it," I took his hand gently. "It was an accident. You never would have done something like that on purpose."

Ryan didn't respond, so I just sat there with him in silence. After a while, once Mom and Dad came back, I told Edward and Jasper to head back to their homes. It was weird saying goodbye to them, but Edward needed to be with his daughter and Jasper was no longer needed. Jake sat with us for a little while, but even he found something to watch on TV after an hour or so.

"Can I go for a walk?" Ryan spoke sometime in the early afternoon. Dad, who was patiently waiting, nodded. Ryan got up out of his chair and followed my dad outside. Mom sighed from the kitchen. This wasn't the first time Dad has had one of these conversations with his children. I was afraid that it wouldn't be the last.

I thought Ryan was gone, so I got up out of my own seat to join Jake on the couch, but Ryan placed his hand on my shoulder and stopped me. I tensed up, my body not prepared for the contact, but prepared for a fight.

"Relax, Danielle," Ryan sighed. "I just wanted to thank you. You care for me much more than I deserve. I haven't been fair to you or your - _husband_ ," he hesitated on the last word.

"You've got your baggage, Ryan," I told him. "But you're my brother now. We've come a long way together. I have your back."

"Brother, huh," Ryan mused. "It's funny you say that. You know, your eyes were the first things I noticed about you when I first met you. It was how I knew it was you. We had the same eyes."

"We still do," I joked, referencing our still red newborn eyes. Ryan chuckled for a moment.

"I suppose so," he sighed. "I guess…I liked you, Danielle. I've always liked you, but I've also wondered if there was more to it than that. I always hoped you'd dump your boy toy for me, but I can see that won't happen. Still, you can't deny we have a connection."

"I think that's enough," Jake stepped in. I put my hand on his shoulder. We didn't need another fight.

"My apologies, Jacob. I didn't mean it like that. I've just…been thinking. Since we were trapped at Peter Piper's house. What he said about us being a family? I've always wondered if maybe he chose us for a reason. Think about it, he chose you because you're his daughter, but why would he pick me if I'm not his son?"

"Convenient target?" I offered. Ryan shook his head.

"I was a slave to the Volturi," Ryan mentioned. "Peter paid to get me back to him."

"Are you kidding me?" I scoffed. "That's ridiculous." What could Peter have possibly paid...nevermind, I really didn't want to answer that.

"It's true. We were both intentionally brought to that house. He wanted us both there for a reason. I just wonder what that reason was."

"It's in the past, Ryan," I changed the subject, and squeezed his hand. "Go talk to my dad for a bit. Take a walk. Clear your head. Everything is going to be okay."

"Yeah," Jake added on at the end. I could tell he just wanted Ryan to leave.

"Thank you, both of you. I'm sorry about the way I've been acting. I'm still adjusting, you know," Ryan defended.

"Ryan, you were a pain in the ass long before you became a vampire," I commented. "Now get out of here before I need to fight you myself." Ryan chuckled, and nodded before walking off.

"You're going to obsess over what he just said, aren't you?" Jake asked me, pulling me into his arms. I nodded. I couldn't forget what he said.

"He's right. There are plenty of other nomads who would probably fall for Peter's trap. Why pay the Volturi to give up Ryan?"

"How do you know Ryan isn't lying?" Jake countered. "He's probably playing some mind trick or something."

"Ryan is sneaky, but he doesn't lie," I argued. "We did have the same eyes, Jake," I commented. "And the same hair color."

"You were born in different countries," Jake challenged. "There's no way…"

"We _think_ we were born in different countries. You and I both know that in this world, anything is possible," I played with the hem of his shirt.

"So you really think…?" Jake asked.

"I do," I affirmed. "I think Ryan could be my biological brother."


	21. More Like Him

MORE LIKE HIM

Unfortunately, there was only one person who would have the answers I needed. I still had my secret folder from when I was searching for Peter before, and I got his phone number. I didn't want to have to go all the way back to Seattle to hunt him down, nor did I want to see him in person if I didn't have to.

I lied to Jake and told him I was going to check out some live music in a nearby café. He was working on a project car Edward had found for him, and was just distracted enough I was able to sneak under his radar. I didn't have long before he would come and look for me, though.

Luckily, the phone only rang once before Peter answered.

"Peter," he grumbled. He already sounded like he was in a bad mood.

"Hello, Peter," I greeted. I could feel him perk up.

"I was under the impression I was never going to hear from you again, little bean," he chuckled into the phone. It made me sick.

"Shut up," I hissed at him. "I need information, and I need you to give it to me."

"Oh, _now_ you need something from me," he was having far too much fun with this. "You know, any good information comes at a price."

"I figured you would say that," I sighed. This was a man who made deals with the Volturi. He wasn't going to give me what I wanted without a little something in return. It made me sick to know I would have to make a deal with him.

"So what do you have that I would want?" He leaned in.

"I have me," I insisted. "And you have ten minutes to tell me how I am related to Ryan D'Amico."

"Ah, you've finally put the pieces together. I knew you were a smart one. You take after me, that way," he snaked.

"I'm nothing like you," I hissed, desperately trying to control myself. I was in public, and I didn't want to cause a scene.

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You're much more like me than you are your mother."

"This deal is off if you mention her one more time," I warned him. Peter snickered.

"Ah, my dear Danielle, you have much to learn about making deals with experienced businessmen like myself. I am completely in control of this particular transaction, whether you want to believe that or not," he explained. "Your end of the bargain is reliant on my desire to see you again. Right now, that desire is particularly low considering you ruined my plans."

"You want nothing more than a family. You have Morgan and Max, but you don't have the two children you are biologically responsible for. You want nothing more than Ryan and I in your home and in your life. Don't pretend that you're in control, because we both know you're not. I can arrange for the three of us to meet. I can arrange for you to be a part of our lives. That is my deal. You have less than fifteen minutes to tell me how I am related to Ryan D'Amico, or the deal is off the table. I will change my phone number, and you will never see either of us again."

"I've found you before, I can do it again. I'll hunt both of you down and you won't like the consequences. You don't know who you're dealing with, girl," he snarled into the phone. _He can't hurt you here_ , I reminded myself. _He won't find you. He's bluffing._

"They will kill you if you touch either of us," I warned him. "They will not be as generous as they were last time. I will let them kill you."

"Then you'll never have the answers you want," he pointed out.

"So do this the easy way. Tell me how I'm related to Ryan D'Amico."

"You're so eager," he chuckled. "So young. I can teach you so much about this world, puppet."

"Cut the crap with the nicknames and tell me how I'm related to Ryan D'Amico!" I shouted into the phone. People were staring at me now. I glanced through the window to find Jake standing out in the cold. He was fuming. I ignored him.

"You have ten seconds or I hang up," I finalized. "Your call." It was silent for a few moments before I heard Peter sigh on the other line.

"You already know the answer. Ryan is my son and your brother," Peter answered. I shook my head.

"That's not good enough, Peter. Why? How? He's older than me, but you were never around. Not even when I was a baby. What, did you just keep getting her pregnant and leave? Why would you keep me and not him?"

"There's a lot you don't understand, and a lot I can't tell you over the phone. Follow through with your end of the bargain and I promise I will give you the answers to all of your questions. Bring Ryan too, I'm sure he's interested."

"He doesn't know I'm talking to you," I admitted, against my better judgement.

"He will," I could see Peter wink in my mind. I hated that I let him get in there. "I'll see you soon, sweet pea."

"Monday. Three o Clock. The old house," I told him. If I was going to meet him somewhere, it was going to be on neutral turf. Somewhere I hadn't been in years, and somewhere he hadn't been.

"Bring the boy," he warned me.

"Bring the information," I warned him. I heard him hang up the phone, and I glanced outside again. Jake was still waiting for me. I was surprised he hadn't attracted anyone else's attention yet. We were in New Hampshire in the middle of winter. At least he had enough sense to put a jacket on.

"Are you kidding me, Dani?" He started as soon as I walked out. "That was him, wasn't it? Your psycho dad? _Why_ would you call him, why? And _why_ would you lie to me about this? Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed? Dani, answer me!" He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. It was enough force that if I were still a human he probably would have dislocated my shoulder. I took a deep breath.

"You wouldn't understand," I told him before turning back around and heading to the car.

"So what, you're just going to shut me out now? Are you kidding me?" Jake slammed his side of the door shut as we got into the car. He was angry, and he had every right to be. Still, I was shutting him out, and I was going to keep shutting him out. He didn't need to be a part of this. I didn't need him to get hurt, too.

"I bet _Ryan_ is going to hear about what is going on," Jake spat to himself after a few moments of silence. I slammed on the breaks and pulled the car over, turning to Jake.

"You're right. He is. For the first time _ever_ , someone is about to be straight with me and tell me the truth about who I am. Unfortunately, this involves Ryan on a much higher level than either of us expected. If that bothers you, then you can get out."

"You'd choose him, over me?" Jake asked, sadly. I shook my head.

"This isn't a this or that type of thing. He could be my brother, Jake," I pleaded, trying to get him to understand.

"He's lying to you, and I guarantee whatever that snake said to you is a lie too," Jake growled. "If you're too stupid to believe that, then I don't know what to do with you."

"Great, so I'm stupid now," I hissed. "You know what? Just get out," I ordered him. He looked even more hurt, but right now, I didn't care. I didn't come here to be criticized.

"I didn't mean that, babe, but what do you think is going to happen?" I started to pull the car away, even though the door was still open. I knew it wouldn't hurt him.

"Danielle!" Jake called after me, and I drove away with him in the rearview mirror. He sat down in defeat, and I felt my heart break. I wasn't being fair, but I needed answers. Answers that I wasn't going to get if Jacob or anyone else stood in my way.

Maybe I was more like Peter than I believed I was.

 **A/N: Howdy! Thank you all for being patient. I've gotten a lot of requests to update more frequently, and I promise I am doing my best! I just finished a seven week long residential program, so I was out of order for a bit, but I'm done now. Hopefully this means I will have more time to write. I will do my best to get more chapters to you all in the next few weeks. As always, let me know what you want to see, and I will try to fit it in. Enjoy the drama! Peace, Lexi.**


	22. Grounded

GROUNDED

I didn't drive home after that. Instead, I pulled over almost half way to Chicago and I called Ryan. I had numerous missed calls and voicemails, and I was certain there was a search party out looking for me, but I ignored them. I was grateful when Ryan answered his phone almost immediately.

"Where are you?" He asked, unexpected concern dripping in his voice.

"You can't tell anyone," I demanded. "I need you to just meet me here, no questions asked, and without bringing anyone."

"You sound worse than your hubby, Danielle," Ryan said sadly. So Jake _had_ gone back and explained to them what was gone.

"How much do you know?" I asked.

"Enough to know I should most definitely _not_ be meeting you in Chicago," he shrugged.

"Even though you have a chance to get the answers you want?" I pushed, getting aggravated.

"Gianna D'Amico is my mother. I don't give a flying fuck who my father is. Nothing that snake says is going to make any difference in that. I don't understand why it would make a difference for you," Ryan explained. I groaned. I was tired of having this same conversation over and over again.

"My life has been full of lies, Ryan," I started slowly. "Katherine lied to me about being an only child. Carlisle and Esme lied to me about my father not wanting me. I just want the truth for once about who I am."

"You are Danielle Black," Ryan sighed. "You are gorgeous and brave and smart, which is why none of us can understand why you're doing this. You say you want the truth, but you're going to one of the biggest liars in the vampire world to seek it? You're better than this, _principesa_ ," Ryan said.

"Do you believe it?" I whispered into the phone. "Do you believe that you're my brother?"

"I do," I could hear him nodding. "I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I felt it from the first time I saw you. Like I said, there was a connection between us. Unfortunately it wasn't _another_ connection, but still…"

"Stop with the flirting, Ryan," I groaned. "I don't know how to go home right now," I admitted. I was pulled over on I-90, cars were zooming by me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I fucked up, big time.

"They will forgive you," Ryan comforted. "That's one thing I've learned about this family. They're much more forgiving than I expected vampires to be."

"I can't keep apologizing for the same thing. I tell them they're good enough and then I show them I don't think they are. I'm a vampire now, sooner or later they can just…" I didn't want to finish that sentence.

"That's never going to happen," there was another voice on the line now – my father. My eyes widened. I hadn't realized Ryan was so close to them. He was becoming scarily well-versed at being a Cullen.

"Turn the car around and come straight home," he ordered. I nodded in defeat, even though he couldn't see me. I couldn't argue with him. "I love you, and I will always love you. You are _my_ daughter. Now come home."

"Dad…" I tried to choke out an apology, but I couldn't. Why _weren't_ they good enough for me?

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, sweetheart," Dad sighed.

"I just want to know what happened," I tried to explain.

"You don't need to know what happened," he hardened. "I don't want you anywhere near him, and I thought that getting kidnapped and nearly killed would be enough of a lesson for you to learn why."

"Gianna isn't Ryan's mom, is she?" My mom had bright blonde hair and blue eyes. Peter didn't. Gianna didn't.

"This isn't something we should be talking about over the phone," Dad stopped me. "Come home, we'll talk there."

"I love you," I whispered into the phone. _Even when I don't show it._

"I love you too my rebellious troublemaker," Dad chuckled. I could only imagine how furious he was when Jacob told him where I was going. His compassion was not something I was deserving of.

* * *

I wasn't on I-90 long before I saw my sister's car trailing behind me. Of course they sent her to come find me. I took a deep breath and tried not to be upset about it. _That's what you get when you try to run away._

I pulled over at a rest stop, and soon enough the 911 Turbo was in the adjacent parking spot. I saw Alice start to get out of the car, but I held a finger up to her. There was a phone call I needed to make before I got home.

"Hello?" The all too familiar gruff voice answered.

"Deal's off," I said immediately, not giving him time to answer. He chuckled.

"I knew you wouldn't go through with it," he teased. "Too afraid of your old man?"

"You? Absolutely not. I want to know what happened, sure. I want to know if Ryan was the reason you left my mother. I want answers still, but those answers aren't worth me abandoning my true family. I made a mistake calling you. You're nothing, and you need to stay that way. I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of what I will lose if I have you in my life. I've weighed the odds, and they're not worth it. So this will be the last time you hear from me. Forever," I explained. Alice had crawled into the passenger seat, and took my hand, squeezing it.

"This won't be the last time I hear from you, sweet pea," Peter chuckled. "You're too much like your mother. You just can't stay away."

"Like I said, deal's off," I did my best to ignore his last comment, and I hung up the phone.

"How bad is it?" I asked Alice. She shrugged.

"Jake's really upset, but Esme is working on him. The rest of us are just worried. I saw you go to Chicago before Jake came back and told us about the phone call. I was on the phone with Carlisle when he returned. You're allowed to be curious, Dani, but you need to talk to us," Alice explained. "This isn't something you do alone. It would have been a suicide mission."

"Do you really think he would have tried to hurt us?" I shuddered.

"Dani, he had Morgan and Max with him, along with some of his other friends. He was going to give you answers, but he wasn't going to let you and Ryan out of his sight again. Dani, I saw you die trying to fight them," Alice admitted. I leaned my head on the steering wheel. Jake was right. I _was_ stupid.

"I didn't think-"

"You're right, you didn't," Alice interrupted. "You used your heart and not your head and sometimes, we love you for that. This time? Not so much," Alice nudged, trying to get me to smile. It wasn't going to work.

"It's a good thing Rosalie isn't home," I thought out loud. "She would probably kill me herself."

"She probably will when she finds out," Alice chuckled.

"She's not going to find out," I warned Alice.

"Yeah, okay," Alice scoffed. "Come on, let's go home."

"I'll see you there," I promised her. She nodded, and got back in her car.

* * *

I waited in the driveway for a few minutes, trying desperately to gather up the courage to go back inside. Was this what Edward felt when he came home from Italy? I couldn't imagine. I tried to take a few steps closer to the house, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The guilt was suffocating.

I was so stuck in my head I didn't realize anyone was beside me until I felt a familiar warmth envelope my body.

"I'm so sorry," Jake apologized. I almost laughed, and I shook my head.

"I'm more sorry," I mumbled into him. Being in his arms felt so good right now. "You were doing the right thing. I was being stupid."

"You're not stupid," Jake pulled me away from him and looked me in the eyes. "You're _not_ stupid," he repeated. "I was just angry. I was angry and I said things I didn't mean. It's not the first time, and it won't be the last. Jesus…the thought that that could have been the last thing I ever said to you? Shit, Dani," he pulled me back into him and held me tighter.

"I don't deserve you," I found myself saying. I really didn't.

"You don't," Jake chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "I'm really too great of a husband for anyone, though, so I guess you'll do."

"Alright, and there goes that pity party," I pushed Jake off of me. I was finally comfortable with my level of control around him, and it felt really good to be able to mess around like we used to.

"I missed that smile," Jake tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I rolled my eyes.

"It's only been a day, babe," It was true. None of this was happening seven hours ago.

"It's been a long day," Jake corrected. "I need to stop letting you out of my sight."

* * *

I was grounded. I didn't even know vampires _could_ get grounded. I guess when you're the same age you would be if you were a human, it worked better. Taking technology privileges away from any of my siblings wouldn't necessarily be a punishment since they essentially grew up without them anyways.

I wasn't allowed to leave the house without a chaperone, which kind of pissed me off at first, but then Dad clarified that Jake counted, so it wasn't so bad. I wasn't about to do anything that Jake wouldn't approve of, so I was okay with that.

The last term was I had to write an essay. An essay on who I am. I was pretty sure this was some weird therapy trick Dad learned at the hospital, but it was punishment enough. I wasn't grounded for two weeks or three weeks, I was grounded until the essay was finished to Edward's standards. Edward the literature major. It was going to take years.

"This will be good for you," Mom encouraged. I groaned.

"Better get started," Dad teased, pulling me into a hug. "I love you," he said.

"I love you," I answered. "Even when you make me write dumb essays." Dad just laughed even more.

I pulled Jake upstairs and locked the door. Ryan was in his room, probably thinking about everything that happened. My theory about Gianna not being his mother came up, and it hit him hard. I felt bad, but he didn't want to talk to me about it yet. Mom assured me he would come to me when he was ready. I believed her.

"You know what wasn't banned from my terms and conditions?" I whispered suggestively, climbing on top of Jake who had already taken up residence in my bed. Jake smirked.

"I think I have an idea," he leaned up to kiss me. "Slow and steady?"

"Wins the race," I answered.


	23. Bored

BORED

 _Who am I?_

 _I'm a girl who loves her island. I'm a girl who loves the sea. It calls me…_

"Dani, you can't just write the lyrics to Moana as your essay," Edward chuckled from downstairs. I groaned. I wasn't planning on doing that – it just came out.

"I'm going to be grounded for the next thousand years," I complained, lying down on my bed where Jake was waiting for me to finish outlining my essay. I didn't have a clue as to how to even begin it, never mind finish outlining it. How could an essay about myself be so hard to write?

"Why don't you put the notebook away and we can just go downstairs and hang out with everyone? You've been staring at that same blank piece of paper for two hours now," Jake noted, rubbing my shoulders. I rolled over into him.

"It's already been a week. I'm losing my mind. I need to be ungrounded, which means I need to write this essay," I determined. I rested my head on his chest.

"How long did your dad say it had to be?" Jake asked.

"Five paragraphs. It's stupid," I groaned again. "I should just lay in bed for the rest of my life and shrivel up into nothing. It will go faster."

"Don't say that," Jake disagreed. "You didn't have trouble writing essays in high school. You've had to have written something like this before. You just need to focus," he encouraged. I think Jake wanted me to be ungrounded more than I wanted to be ungrounded, if only to end the complaining and moping.

I ripped the page with scribbled Moana lyrics off and threw it into the trashcan. I stared at the new blank page before jotting some facts down.

 _I am Danielle Elizabeth Phillips. I am Danielle Elizabeth Cullen. I am Danielle Elizabeth Black. I am a vampire. I am married to a werewolf. I am seventeen years old. I am blonde, and act that way sometimes. I am a dancer. I am completely and utterly annoyed with my father for making me write this dumb essay._

"Alright, I think it's time for a break," Jake said, reading over my shoulder. "Let's go say hi to Nessie and Seth, model some stuff for Alice, and then we'll try again later."

"Fine," I growled, and crumpled up another failed attempt. For the first time since turning into a vampire, the trash can was getting full.

* * *

"How's the essay coming?" Bella asked, laughing when she saw my frustrated face. I just rolled my eyes and walked straight over to where Renesmee was reading a book.

"Hey chomper," I nudged her. "Whatcha reading?"

" _The Outsiders_ ," she answered. "Daddy got it for me."

"Of course he did," I smirked, looking over at Edward. _You couldn't wait until she was more than six months old?_ I thought to him. He shrugged.

"She's doing so well," Mom chimed in. Mom was homeschooling her for the time being.

"Maybe she can write this stupid paper," I mumbled under my breath, but a perfectly placed cough behind me told me I shouldn't have said that.

"Think about that stupid paper the next time you want to run away," he whispered in my ear as he walked by, patting me on the shoulder.

"Oh, I will," I sighed. I probably wasn't even going to have the chance to run away again.

"Have you even started it?" Bella asked.

"She has a paragraph," Edward chuckled. I glared at him and shook my head. _Don't you dare._ Edward was having a little too much fun being the person who determined my fate. As a result, he was on my shit list.

"I thought Alice and Jasper were coming over?" I changed the subject. Jake plopped down on the couch next to Bella, and I squeezed in beside him, making myself comfy.

"They'll be here later. She needed to pick up some fabrics, apparently," Mom explained. She was on the floor helping Renesmee figure out something in the book.

"Let's hope this next outfit is for Bella," I teased. Now it was Bella's turn to glare at me.

"Not a chance," she nearly growled. Even Jake chuckled, knowing how much Bella hated becoming Bella Barbie.

"Speaking of Bella Barbie…" Edward trailed as Alice came waltzing in, Jasper in tow. She had three large bags of various items that made both Bella and I take a second glance.

"Oh dear God," Bella said, mortified. Renesmee immediately put down her book and ran over to see what "Auntie Alice" got her, and as she pulled out the various items, even I had to investigate.

"Alice, what could all of this _possibly_ be for?" I asked her. Renesmee pulled out another box from the bag – one that was clearly labeled as being from a store Renesmee should not know about.

"Ness, give me that," Bella caught on quickly, trying not to laugh.

"Alice!" I nearly yelled, waiting for an answer. This better not all be for me.

"Happy Honeymoon!" Alice cheered. My eyes widened, and I turned to look at Jacob. He shrugged.

"You didn't let me plan my wedding, and now you're not letting me plan my honeymoon?" I wasn't even aware that we were having one, but that was a different argument.

"Ooh, look at these," Ryan smirked, having finally arrived. He took the box from Bella's hands.

"Are these for you, sis?" He chuckled. I ran over and took the box from him.

"You're sick," I spat at him.

"You've been married for almost three months now, Dani!" Alice whined. "It's time. I promise Jake had _nothing_ to do with this, so you can't be mad at him."

"It's not _him_ I'm mad at," I growled.

"Also, you _did_ kind of plan your wedding, since you know, Rosalie stole your journal and all of that," Seth chimed in, and I glared at him.

"Not to mention I wasn't there, so it didn't count," Alice added nonchalantly.

"Then why are we having a honeymoon if our wedding didn't count?" I questioned her.

"You need to get out of the house, babe, and not in an 'I'm going on some kamikaze mission' way. Your parents are paying for it, so why are you fighting this?" Jake asked, coming up behind me.

"So you did know about this," I smirked at him. He shrugged again.

"Alice may have mentioned something at some point," he offered. I shook my head.

"Please tell me we're not going to Italy," I begged. Jake nearly choked.

"Hell no," he affirmed. I nodded.

"Are they going to the love shack?" Renesmee piped up from nearby Bella. Bella and Edward both looked completely shocked. Even Jasper couldn't contain his laughter.

"Nessie!" Seth, Edward, and Bella all said at the same time.

"What? That's what Uncle Emmett called the place he and Rosalie went on their honeymoon," she looked upset that she had been scolded. It wasn't often that happened.

"You're not in trouble, sweetie," Mom comforted. "We just weren't expecting that from you."

"I'm going to kill him," Edward mumbled. Jake was still laughing.

"You're leaving tomorrow morning," Alice instructed, handing me one of the bags. "You have the rest of today to pack. We've already ordered your tickets. You're going to love it!"

"So much for being grounded, huh?" I asked Jake, pecking him on the neck.

"We thought this would give you some time to truly figure out who you are," Dad spoke up. "Jacob isn't the only one who's noticed you're not thrilled being cooped up here."

"Yeah, sorry about that," I shied into Jake. He massaged my shoulders, even though I could barely feel him.

"Anyways, get going. We'll still be here when you're done, and then I need you to model some other dresses I'm working on," Alice directed.

"Why can't Bella do it?" I whined. Bella just glared at me. I glared back. This was something we'd go to war over.

"Come on, before you start a fight or something," Jake encouraged, and we walked back up the stairs.

We weren't in the room for five minutes before Jake was ripping open the box that held the lingerie.

"You're gonna wear this tomorrow?" He asked, smirking. I took a closer look at what was inside the box and groaned.

"Only if you behave," I teased him, pushing him over onto the bed. He chuckled as I bent over and grabbed the suitcases.

As angry as I was about being caught off guard again, I was excited that Jake and I were finally going to get some alone time again.


	24. Crazy

CRAZY

Jake didn't fall asleep until about 1:00 in the morning, and we were supposed to be getting up around 5:00 in order to make it to Boston on time to catch our flight. He was going to be a disaster in the morning, but I could deal with it then. He was probably just as nervous and excited as I was.

"Danielle, Carlisle sent me to ask if there are any more bags up here?" Ryan interrupted. I looked over at where he was standing in the doorway, and shook my head.

"Only things we need to shower with later this morning, but I can bring that bag down when we're done with them," I explained. I would probably take a shower in an hour or two, that way I would be ready when Jake was getting up.

"Excellent," he sighed. "Do you do this every night? Just, sit at your desk and watch him sleep?"

"Not _every_ night," I sighed, then smiled to myself. "Just most of them."

"What is the appeal of that?" Ryan asked.

"I used to ask Edward the same thing," I mused. "He would disappear every night to go sit with Bella in her room while she slept. I found it disturbing and creepy, but I get it now. It's peaceful."

"I don't understand," Ryan grimaced, staring at Jacob. I chuckled a little.

"Jake's life hasn't been easy, Ryan," I whispered. "He lost his mom at a young age, and he grew up having to take care of his father, who is wheelchair bound. He was also supposed to be alpha for his pack, which you knew. Ever since he was young, he has had too much responsibility. He grew up too soon. When he's awake, you can see that in his eyes. They're hard and focused far too often. He's much more relaxed now, which I'm grateful for, but it wasn't always that way. When he's sleeping, you can see how much of the weight of his responsibilities washes off of him. He's at peace with himself. As someone who loves him very much, it's refreshing to see that."

"I always knew, you know," Ryan mentioned, still in the doorway.

"Knew what?" I questioned, looking away from Jake and back at him.

"When Aro sent me here, after he killed my mother, he told me to look for a girl who had the same eyes as me. I met you, and I knew you were the one, because we had the same shade of eyes, but your eyes were different. They were sad. They, as you said about Jacob, bore the weight of your responsibilities. I knew that, despite growing up with the Cullens, you had a story as well. When I saw you with Jacob, your eyes weren't as sad anymore. It's how I knew I never had a chance with you. I tested and I tested, trying to find the holes in your relationship with him, but there weren't any. It really was love at first sight, wasn't it?"

"I love him more than anything," I admitted. "I would do anything for him."

"I know," Ryan nodded. "I can see that, now."

"What was your mom like?" I asked him. Ryan smiled.

"She was blinded by her love for the supernatural," Ryan sighed, taking the spare seat in the room. "I understand, now, there are some discrepancies with my memories and the truth, but Gianna will always be my mother in my heart."

"Did you ever find out the truth?" I inquired. Ryan nodded.

"I was with Peter a lot longer than you were, _cara_ ," Ryan grimaced at the memories. "I was born a child of Peter and Katherine," he admitted. "Peter, however, made a deal with the devil and promised Aro his first born son. Peter gave me to him, and Aro gave me to Gianna to raise. She was young – a student studying the supernatural at a nearby college. How she found the Volturi I will never know. I was raised to be a human spy for them, just like she was. I grew up believing she was my mother, and honestly, for a while, I thought Aro was my father. He was the closest thing I had to one, at least."

"That's terrible," I interrupted. Ryan nodded, but shrugged.

"I had a mostly normal childhood, though. I went to school in a small town outside of Volterra. I had friends, and I took them home to play with. I rarely ever saw the Volturi or went into Volterra at all. I didn't know about you until I was called in by Aro and he told me. I didn't know about Peter until Demetri handed me over to him. I didn't know about Katherine until you told me about her. I was in the dark as much as you were, I just found out about the lies sooner."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, playing with the pocket on my pants. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that."

"I'm sorry for what you've had to go through as well," Ryan responded. I nodded. We've both been through hell, and have lived to tell the tale.

"Is that why you were so against vampires? You knew about all the lies?" Ryan nodded.

"I thought if I could get you away from the Cullens, and away from Jacob, I could tell you and you would believe me. I didn't know if you would while they were still in your life," He explained.

"I wouldn't have," I told him. "I wouldn't have believed you were my brother at all, it wasn't anywhere near my radar at the time."

"I know," he chuckled, then sighed. "Well, that was a nice little heart to heart," he nudged me. "I'll get back to reading, and you can go back to watching your loved one be at peace with himself."

"Thank you, Ryan," I told him sincerely. He stopped at the door and smirked.

"You're welcome," he winked. "You've got a good thing here, Danielle. I'm sorry I ever tried to take that away from you."

"You don't have to apologize," I argued. "I'm just glad that you get to have a piece of it now too." Ryan nodded, and walked away. I turned back to Jacob, who was sleeping soundly, and I crawled into bed with him.

* * *

It was 5:00 and we needed to leave in thirty minutes. I had been trying to wake Jake up for at least five, and nothing was working.

"Jake!" I yelled at him, smacking him with the pillow again. He was either ignoring me, or really was that heavy of a sleeper. I finally just leaned over him and started kissing him.

"This is nice," he mumbled, right before I gave him a light tap on the cheek.

"It's also over. We need to leave soon," I told him. "Go get in the shower, my parents are already packing our getaway vehicle."

"Ugh, but it's still dark out," he mumbled again, rolling over and pulling one of the five pillows I threw at him over his head.

"Jake!" I yelled. He groaned.

"Fine, I'm up, I'm up," he sat up in the bed. "You're already dressed?"

"I don't sleep," I reminded him. "I've had some time to get ready. Now it's your turn, and Alice keeps texting me saying if we don't leave in twenty minutes or less she's going to kidnap us and take us there herself so move it!"

"Your sister's a nut job," Jake grumbled, taking his time getting to the shower.

"Try growing up with her," I countered. "You learn to fight back."

"How?" He questioned, but I just pushed him towards the bathroom, and threw a towel at his face.

It wasn't sixty seconds before my phone buzzed again.

 _Is he awake?_ I rolled my eyes. My sister could be so anal sometimes.

 _He just woke up and is in the shower as we speak. I'll txt u when we leave._ There, that should hold her over for a little while.

Jake fortunately took quick showers, and it wasn't long before he was changing. I ran inside the bathroom to grab his shower supplies and threw them in a toiletries bag, taking them down to where my parents were packing the car.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay driving us to the airport?" I asked Dad again, once the car was all packed. He just smiled.

"Of course," he kissed the side of my head.

"Are you going to tell me where we're supposed to be going, now?" I begged.

"Not a chance," he chuckled, walking away and patting my shoulder. I sighed. Jake already knew, but he wasn't giving anything up. One of the reasons he was up so late is because I was trying so hard.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ryan came up behind me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I rolled my eyes.

"It's a honeymoon, how bad can it be?" I shrugged.

"Take me with you," he whispered. I chuckled.

"Not a chance," I shook my head. "This is me _escaping_ from you again, there's no way in hell I'm bringing you along to watch."

"But we bonded last night," he whined.

"The answer is no, Ryan," I stuck my tongue out at him, and he just waved me off.

"Enjoy yourself, sister Danielle," Ryan smirked. "I look forward to your return."

"Don't call me sister Danielle," I told him. "It's weird."

"Would you rather me go back to some of my old nicknames?" He winked. I shook my head no.

"Goodbye, Ryan," I wave him off. He gave me a wave as well before disappearing into the basement.

"What did you two do last night?" Jake asked, suspicious.

"Easy tiger," I rubbed his arm. "We just had a long overdue talk. It was good," I pecked him on the lips. "I'm yours."

"You better be," he lifted me up and spun me around. I wrapped my legs around his torso gently.

"Alright, you two, it's time to hit the road," Mom interrupted. Dad was already in the car waiting.

"Have an amazing time, my love," Mom gave me a kiss, and then turned to Jacob.

"Take care of her," she warned him. "You know how she gets."

"What does that mean?" I whined.

"Nothing," they both said in unison. It was weird.

"Okay, you two are done hanging out with each other," I pushed Jake away, and waved goodbye to my mom.

"Are Alice and Jasper coming?" I asked my dad when we got in the car. I got the front seat, and Jake got the back with all of the luggage. I felt a little bad for him, but he declined my offer to switch, so I didn't feel _too_ bad.

"They're meeting us at the airport," Dad explained. "Alice wants to see Boston."

"I'm assuming Newburry Street is part of that?" I chuckled.

"Of course," Dad rolled his eyes. I smiled, and looked out the window. It was still weird being outside of Forks, fortunately, New Hampshire was still fairly green. I would have loved it here as a human, since there was on average more sun, but now, it was something I had to be more concerned of.

"We have about an hour before we get there, if you two want to relax," Dad offered. "I don't mind the silence."

"Don't have to tell me twice, Doc," Jake moved around some of the bags so that he had a pillow to lean on, and closed his eyes.

"You better wake up," I warned him.

"I will," he said. I smiled as I could see him drift off to sleep again. He was such a dog.

* * *

"What has got you so worked up, sweetheart?" Dad commented about ten minutes after Jake fell asleep.

"I'm a bride, it's a honeymoon, I get to be nervous," I chuckled. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"You're going to be fine," Dad assured me, taking my hand. "Alice and Jacob planned everything, and they've thought of everything, I promise."

"That's what scares me," I laughed, and Dad did too.

"You're not going to hurt him, again," Dad said, seriously. "I know that's what you're really worried about."

"Dad, I really don't want to have this conversation with you," I said, getting embarrassed. The last thing I wanted to do while my husband was sleeping in the backseat was talk to my dad about how having sex could literally break the sleeping man.

"We don't have to have a conversation, then," he defended. "I'm just telling you – as a father _and_ a doctor – I know you won't hurt him. You have impeccable control now. You went slowly, and I think, if that is a step you want to take this week, you will be safe enough and in control enough to be okay."

"And I can't get pregnant, right?" I smirked, turning the tide. If my dad wasn't a vampire, I'd think he was having a stroke.

"No. Absolutely not," Dad choked out. "Also don't ever mention the concept of you becoming pregnant again."

I laughed. I had never seen my dad this uncomfortable before. It was pretty funny.

"Don't get pregnant," Jake mumbled from the back seat, which only made me laugh even harder. I rolled my eyes.

Jake wanted to know how I dealt with Alice as a sister? It was easy: Alice wasn't the only crazy one in this family. To fight crazy, you had to become crazy.

 **A/N: SORRY SORRY SORRY! I know it has been a while since I last updated! I would say we are about three to four chapters out from finishing this story (I know, sad day), so I am going to try to plow through and get the rest of the chapters out as quickly as possible so you don't have to wait so long. I can't make any promises, but I can promise I will try. Thank you all again for your undying support, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Peace!**


	25. Welcome to Isle Esme

WELCOME TO ISLE ESME

It didn't take me long to figure out where we were going after we got our boarding passes.

"Your mom owns a private island, and you've never been there?" Jake gaped. Mom and Dad told him we were going to Isle Esme, and they explained to him why we had the island, but they never told him I had barely been there.

"Pick your jaw up, sweetie," I teased him. "It's a rite of passage. I went there once or twice when I was little, but I haven't been there since. It's more for my mom and dad than it is for any of us. I've seen pictures, but it's always been a place I've been waiting to visit."

"So how is it we were able to keep you from knowing this was where our honeymoon was going to be?" Jake asked. I shrugged.

"I honestly kind of forgot about this place. Things have been crazy, and I guess it just slipped my mind. I also didn't think you'd be interested in going to an island that smelt like vampires in all directions," I noted.

"I'm interested in anywhere I can be alone with you," he kissed me. I chuckled.

"Delta Flight 2737 to ATL, now boarding," the voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Your parents have all the money in the world, and they couldn't pitch for a direct flight?" Jake complained while we were in line.

"There are no direct flights to Rio, babe. The plane needs to gas up," I explained. "Just be glad they got us first class so you can have some leg room."

"Thank God," he groaned. I had a hard time picturing him in economy seats where there wasn't enough leg room for the average human, never mind a freakishly tall shapeshifter.

"You can have the aisle," I told Jacob when we entered the plane. He might need to get up and down, I wouldn't. Plus, having him blocking me in would mask some of the human scent around us.

"Stop worrying, you're going to be fine," Jake read me.

"Even Jasper wouldn't be able to do this," I admitted. "Just please don't let me hurt anyone," I begged.

"You won't," Jake promised, taking my hand. "You hunted yesterday, and you've got great control. If it gets bad, just hold your breath. You can do this."

"I love you," I mumbled into his neck.

"I love you, too. You're going to be fine," Jake promised.

* * *

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro around 10:00 PM New England time, which was 11:00 PM in Brazil. I didn't sleep, and Jake slept most of the plane ride, so we weren't all that tired. We decided to check into the hotel, and then do some exploring.

"Where do you want to go?" Jake grabbed me from behind. I looked up at him and shrugged. I didn't know much about what to do in Rio, never mind in the middle of the night. All of the major attractions would surely be closed.

"Are you hungry? We could go see if there's a restaurant open somewhere," I offered. Jake shook his head.

"I'm good," he said, then pecked me on the lips, "this is about you, babe."

"This is about _us_ ," I corrected. "No family, no drama, just us," I reminded myself. I couldn't remember a time when we could say that.

"Thank God," Jake laughed, picking me up and swirling me around. He put me back down so I was facing him. "Have I ever mentioned how happy I am that you're my wife?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Only every day," I teased him, kissing him. "It's okay, though. I'm happy you're my husband," I said, taking off his shirt. Jake locked his hands around mine.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked. I nodded. I was in control.

"I want you more than anything," I told him.

* * *

We didn't do much exploring last night, to say the least. Well, not of Rio, anyways. Jake was sleeping, again, and I was tracing patterns along his body and his tattoo. We didn't go all the way, but we got pretty far. Jake stopped me when he thought we were going to lose the security deposit on the hotel room. It was okay, though. There would be plenty of time for home runs later when we had an entire private island to ourselves.

"How long is the boatride?" Jake asked. I shrugged.

"I don't even have a boating license, so I have no idea how we're going to get there, never mind how long it's going to take," I commented. Jake deadpanned.

"What?" I asked, confused as to what I said that pissed him off.

"Dani," he said, taking my hands. "I'm a Quileute Indian. We are fishermen. I know how to drive a boat."

"But across the ocean?" I questioned him. He rolled his eyes and tackled me onto the bed.

"We live on the ocean, numnuts," he started tickling me, but groaned when it didn't work. "Damn blood sucker," he grumbled, and tried to shake it off, but I didn't miss the double meaning in his words. He looked back up at me and sighed. "I thought we were over this, babe," he said, running his fingers through my hair.

"I know, I just…it gets to me sometimes too," I told him. Each passing day I grew more and more comfortable with who I was as a vampire, but it still hit me sometimes when there was something I could do as a human, or have as a human, that was no longer a possibility.

"I didn't mean it that way," he promised.

"I know you didn't," I smiled, trying to end the conversation. He pecked me on the lips.

"You're a drop dead gorgeous vampire, and I get to have you as my wife. There is nothing I would do to change that," he held up his ring. "I knew what kind of chaos I was getting myself into."

"Yeah, considering we met when my brother was trying to kill himself," I shrugged, laughing at the memory that most definitely wasn't laughable at the time.

"I thought they kidnapped you or something," Jake joined in. "I was so confused as to why any human other than Bella would be wrapped up in all of that."

"The things you do for family," I snuggled up against Jake.

"Speaking of, did you ever call and make sure someone knows we made it here alive?" Jake questioned.

"I texted my dad while you were sleeping," I told him. He nodded.

"Good, now we'll really have peace and quiet," he smiled.

"Speaking of which, are you ready to put that boating experience to work?" I teased him. He rolled his eyes.

"Only if you're ready to be my first mate," he winked. I nudged him, and we packed up all our bags and headed off to the port.

* * *

"Babe, I need you to help me dock this thing," Jake warned when we were coming up on the island. When I was little, I thought this was where the princesses must live, because it was so beautiful. Taking it in now, as basically an adult, I realized _we_ had to be royalty in order to even step foot on this land.

"Dani!" Jake called. I pulled myself together and helped him tie the boat up. My jaw was still on the ground. My memories did this place no justice.

"Holy shit," Jake commented. I looked at him and nodded. I was thinking the same thing.

"Grab the bags, I'm going to go unlock the house, and then we're definitely having sex on the beach."

"And the hot tub," Jake added.

"Oh my God," I realized. Jake panicked, thinking we forgot something.

"What?" He asked.

"We've turned into Rosalie and Emmett," I laughed. Jake cringed.

"Shut up," Jake shook his head in disgust and went back to the boat to get our bags. This was going to be the best week ever.


	26. Let's Go Home

LET'S GO HOME

 _I am Danielle Elizabeth Phillips Cullen Black, and I am a vampire. My story is not for the lighthearted, and certainly not for the ordinary human. To believe my story, you have to believe in the impossible and run with it. For most, impossible is the only way to explain how I was adopted by vampires and ended up married to a werewolf._

"That's a good start, babe," Jake read over my shoulder. I jumped a little. For once in my life, I wasn't paying attention to him.

"You're not supposed to be reading it," I stuck my tongue out at him, teasing. He chuckled.

"But I'm in it! Don't I get a right to read what you're writing about me?" He argued.

"I've haven't written anything other than I'm married to a werewolf. I haven't even started complaining about you yet," I pushed him back on the bed.

After we had sex – lots and lots of amazing, incredible, supernatural sex – Jacob slept for thirteen hours. After five, which was just about a normal night in our household, I decided to make better use of my time than watch my husband drool all over my mother's bed sheets.

"Do you think this is the room-" Jacob started, but I held my hand up to stop him.

"What was my one rule?" I nearly growled. Jake rolled his eyes.

"Don't mention any of your siblings or family in relation to activities done in this house," Jake repeated. I nodded.

"Good boy," I smirked and walked to the kitchen. Jake followed close behind and wrapped his arms around me.

"I could get used to this," he sighed. "What do you want to do today?"

"We could go hiking," I suggested. Jake pulled back to look at me.

"There's something you can add to your essay," he suggested. I looked at him confused. "Human Danielle would _never_ have suggested hiking," he chuckled, tickling my side. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't have to worry about dying from a heart attack in the middle of the woods anymore," I defended. I was not an outdoorsy person. It made for a fairly good excuse when my family would be "camping" and I would be stuck at school. It was one lie we didn't have to make.

"Is it just forest or are there trails?" Jake asked as I turned back to look at him while I pulled out some eggs from the refrigerator.

"Do you think vampires need trails?" I scoffed. Then, I thought better about it. There probably _weren't_ trails before Emmett and Jasper's baby sister decided to honeymoon on Isle Esme. I wouldn't put it past them to have come here on their last "hunting trip" and create some. "Never mind," I groaned. Even as a vampire, my family didn't trust me to keep myself out of trouble.

"They love you," Jake said.

"Are you sure you're not the mind reader?" I questioned him. He chuckled.

"Thank God I'm not," he affirmed, turning on the stovetop.

"Go sit down," I ushered him out of the cooking area. "I'm your wife, I can make you breakfast."

"Sure, sure," he smirked and yielded to my culinary expertise. I just hoped he wasn't expecting the glory of an Esme breakfast. No one could beat that, not even me.

"So, hiking, and then…?" Jake continued to try to plan the day out.

"We're on a honeymoon that doesn't end until I finish my essay from hell," I explained over the sizzle of the bacon I just added. "We don't have to plan out every minute, we'll get bored. Just go with the flow."

"As long as the flow involves skinny dipping, I'm good," Jake winked suggestively. I shook my head and tried to show off, flipping his eggs onto the plate from the pan, but my plan backfired and the eggs ended up all over me and all over the floor.

"Fuck!" I yelled out, the hot eggs burning my skin.

"Dani!" Jake rushed to my side, but everything was still hot.

"Don't touch it!" I warned him. "I'm fine, I'm good," I comforted him and the burning sensation went away. _Thank God I'm not a human_ , I thought to myself, taking a deep breath.

"Let me help clean up," Jake insisted. I shook my head.

"I got this, um…it's gonna take a few minutes to make another batch, you can go lay down or something," I said quietly. Even as a vampire, I was clumsy as hell.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jake shook his head and grabbed some paper towels. He knelt down on the floor and began to clean up the mess. "Go get in the shower, I got this."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. He smirked.

"Shit happens, it's okay," He squeezed my leg. "Go get ready for the best hike of your life," he smiled.

"You're the best," I ran my fingers through his hair.

"I know," he winked, nudging me back to the master bathroom. I sighed. I was not worthy of this man as my husband.

* * *

"Remember when I suggested we go hiking? Yeah, that was a terrible idea," I complained. There was one mountain on this island, and I decided I wanted to climb it. It couldn't be that bad, you know since I didn't have to breathe anymore, right? Of course not. I was terribly, terribly wrong.

"It is humid as hell, I am literally dripping with condensation. I didn't even know that could _happen_ to vampires. We aren't supposed to get hot, Jacob!" I complained some more. He learned about fifteen minutes into the hike that he should just ignore me.

"We're almost there," he said hesitantly. I growled at him.

"How the hell would you know we're almost there? You've never been here!" I yelled. He chuckled.

"If you stopped complaining and just listened, you could hear the water – that's where we're going. It gets clearer with every mile."

"I didn't even know this island could have so many miles on it. Next time, we're doing this my speed and you're shapeshifting," I pointed at him.

"Just shut up and walk," he rolled his eyes. "You'll thank me when we get there, you crazy woman," he mumbled under his breath.

"I _can_ hear you," I warned him. He winked.

"I know."

* * *

Jake – per usual – was right. As soon as we reached the clearing and I saw the waterfall, I was in absolute awe. I had no idea how nature could possibly be so beautiful.

"Edward told me about this," Jake whispered, pulling me closer. "He said you used to love it here when you were little."

"I did," I remembered. I hadn't actually thought of that before, but the scene did look vaguely familiar. My parents used to always panic because I'd get too close to the edge. Alice would just laugh and tell them I'd be fine, someone was always close enough by that they'd be able to catch me. I used to love playing in the water.

"What are you thinking about?" Jake rubbed my arms.

"Just…remembering," I answered, pulling away and walking closer to the edge. Jake followed behind me. "I forgot how much I used to love this place. They only took me here once, but I held onto that memory for so long. I can't believe I forgot all about it."

"You came here when you were like, what, six? Babe, you're not losing all of your memories yet," Jake comforted.

"Still, there are so many things that ten, twenty, fifty years from now my family will remember, but I won't. It's kind of scary," I admitted. Jake pulled me into his arms again.

"Even if you were still human, you'd lose those memories. I hardly remember anything from when I was a kid, and Billy has to remind me of stuff all the time," he said.

"Still," I sighed. "I'm so glad we came here."

"Now that we've done the traditional Cullen honeymoon, we can come here whenever you want," Jake nudged.

"It's not too hot for you?" I asked him.

"Nothing I can't handle," he got all tough, and I chuckled.

"Grow up," I teased him.

"Never," he stuck his tongue out at me.

* * *

 _My vampire parents adopted me when I was five. My mother died in a car accident, and my father did not want me. I went from being a human child with human parents to a human child with vampire parents. Of course, I didn't know what that meant until I was a little older, but I know now that it meant I became a holder of secrets. My role as the "normal Cullen" was only just beginning._

 _While people would stop and stare at my siblings, no one had a problem with asking me questions about them. Sometimes, the questions were easy. Sometimes, the questions were questions I couldn't give honest answers to. Most of the time, I hated all of the questions I was asked. I was the "normal Cullen," but I still didn't really fit in anywhere._

 _I met Bella when I was sixteen, and she became my partner-in-crime. We were the only two humans who knew the true secrets of the Cullens, and most of the time, Bella knew more than I did. It was through her I met the love of my life, and my future husband, Jacob Black. He thought he was in love with her, and I was always jealous of her for that. Still, she loved my brother, and I loved Jacob. Everything worked out in the end._

 _Growing up with vampires, I was always afraid of the future. The future always meant leaving, starting a new life, and moving on. Still, I always knew I had a future. I saw myself growing old and starting a family someday, although that came with the fear of losing my current family. If I stayed human, someday, I would be older than my parents. Instead of being the baby Cullen, I would be the grandma Cullen, and that terrified me. Still, I never wanted to be a vampire. I had my husband, I had my future, and I was fine._

 _Life doesn't work that way, though. I_ was _changed, and I am a vampire now. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be, and everyone is more supportive than I could ever hope for – especially Jacob. When I realized I had turned, I was terrified he wouldn't love me anymore. Nature created him to fight vampires, not fall in love with them. Like before, we made it work. He is more than I will ever deserve._

 _We were fortunate to be able to stay in Forks for as long as we did. Forks is my home, no matter where the future takes us. I am a vampire, and that means I am my human life and more. It has taken me a long time to learn I can do almost everything I did as a human if my control is good enough. Someday, I will go back to high school. Someday, I might even be able to start dancing again._

 _My name is Danielle Elizabeth Phillips Cullen Black. I am a vampire. I am married to a Quileute Shapeshifter. I once was a human, but that life is behind me. I have a family who loves and supports me, and will always root for my success. I have a heart that speaks louder than my brain. I have been through hell, and have lived to tell the tale. My story is a long one, but it's worth the read._

I put my pencil down, astonished that I actually finished. Jake looked over at me from where he was packing the last of the bags.

"Are you done?" He asked. I nodded, smiling.

"I'm a free bird," I chuckled. "Now I just have to remember to not be stupid anymore."

"You're not stupid," he said, pulling me into a hug. "So, where do we go from here, free bird?"

"Don't we have to go home?" I questioned him.

"Do you really think your parents are that lame?" Jake chuckled. "This is just the beginning, baby. We have two more plane tickets to cash in on. We could go to Paris, Melbourne, Beijing, you name it – as long as you name a place with good food," he qualified. I laughed.

"You've been hiding this from me the entire time?" I asked him, in absolute awe.

"You needed to finish that essay!" He defended. "Those were the rules."

"Let's go to Forks," I said after a moment. Jake looked at me curiously.

"I thought we couldn't go back there," he said.

"I can wear contacts, and we wouldn't have aged that much anyways," I explained. "We can see your dad and the pack, I'm sure he'd let us stay at his place. Honestly, we don't need to leave the reservation." I could see tears start to line Jacob's eyes.

"Your parents give you tickets to go anywhere in the world, and you want to go home to see my dad," he shook his head. "You say that you're the one who doesn't deserve me? I don't deserve you."

"You've sacrificed so much for me," I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Forks is our home. Let's go back while we still can."

"I'll go start bringing the bags to the boat," he smiled.

"I'll go make you some sandwiches," I teased.

 _My name is Danielle Elizabeth Phillips Cullen Black, and my life is amazing._

 **A/N: I'm actually sobbing right now. This story has been such a big part of my life for the past two years, I am sad to say this will be the last chapter. I am planning on writing an epilogue because I know you all want to see one more scene, and I am also planning on doing some one-shots of missing moments from both Storming Sky and After the Storm. Please keep checking in to see what I am writing in this universe, and if you have any ideas for one-shots of missing moments or future moments, send me your ideas! Thank you all so very much for all of your support throughout this story! Peace, Lexi**


	27. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

We made it to Forks in less than 24 hours. We decided not to tell Billy, and instead got Sam to pick us up at the airport. We would have run the whole way, (we were certainly eager enough) but we had all of our luggage with us.

Sam and Emily were very excited to see us. It felt good to see familiar faces again. When we were in the car, Jake's non-stop talking distracted the couple long enough so I could sneak in a text to my dad explaining where we went.

 _Went home to Forks to see Billy. Thanks for the tickets ;) Love you._

 _I had a feeling you would end up there. Mom and I are proud of you. We love you too._

I sighed. I owed them big time.

"So, we do have to ask you one thing, now that you're off your cell phone," Emily looked at me through the rearview mirror. I shrugged.

"We have a date set for the wedding, and we were hoping you would both be able to come back and be in the Bridal Party!" Emily smiled.

"More specifically, I was hoping you'd be my best man, Jake," Sam asked him. Jake's eyes widened. After everything that went down, I don't think he was expecting the best man title.

"Absolutely," I answered for both of us. Jake gave me a look. "What? There's no way we're missing this!" I told him. "Congratulations, you two," I smiled, and reached up to squeeze Emily's shoulder. I didn't miss her flinch, and I quickly retreated back to my place in the car.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just…I forgot for a moment."

"It's okay," I said quietly as Jake took my hand. "I understand." Emily looked up at me sadly, but I faked a smile for her. I had to understand that there were a lot of people who still weren't used to me being a vampire. Honestly, there were times I still wasn't very used to it myself.

"So, are you ready to see Billy?" Sam asked, pulling into the Res. Jake was bouncing off the walls.

"Always," I smiled, and squeezed Jake's hand.

"Thanks for the ride, Sam," Jake shook his hand. "It's an honor to be your best man, brother."

"No one else could fill the shoes, my man," Sam responded. It was nice to see the two of them getting along.

"I'm really sorry about earlier, Dani," Emily apologized again.

"Em, it's okay," I smiled. "I'm really happy for the two of you. Don't worry. We're not going to run off because you're afraid of me."

"Oh, honey, I'm not afraid of you," Emily scoffed, and I chuckled. This woman still had all of the sass. "Tell Billy I said 'hi,'"

"Will do," I smiled and got out of the car.

* * *

"Are those my babies?" I heard Billy say from the house once we got out. Charlie was inside as well. They both rushed to the window – Charlie being expectantly faster than Billy. I could hear him sigh, he was probably hoping Bella would be here too.

Jake walked right inside, and I followed him. Despite my strength, he still insisted on carrying all the bags. He went right over to Billy and Billy pulled him into a hug. Even Charlie came and did the same with me.

"What are you all doing here?" Charlie asked. I smiled.

"Jake and I were on our honeymoon," I looked at Jake who just smiled, "and we thought we'd take a pit stop in to see my favorite father-in-law."

"You sure know how to butter me up, kid," Billy smirked. "Come 'ere," I bent over to give Billy a hug as well.

"How's the family?" Billy asked. I smiled.

"Rosalie and Emmett are travelling, they should be in Australia by now," I explained. "Mom and Dad are good, Edward and Bella are loving college, and Renesmee is having so much fun. She's already reading chapter books," I updated Charlie. He smiled.

"Bella skyped a few days ago and Renesmee couldn't stop talking about the books she was reading. She's a smart one," Charlie beamed.

"They're great parents," I added. "Bella really misses you, I'm sure when we tell her she's going to be crazy jealous."

"Kid needed to fly the coop at some point," Charlie shrugged it off. He put on a good face, but I knew he was secretly hoping Bella would stick around in Forks forever.

"I just wish you two waited a little longer," Billy grimaced. "Going and moving and all that. Are you back in school yet?" He asked.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm surprised I made it through all the flights, to be honest." It was as close to a miracle as I'd ever know. Then again, my life was full of miracles.

"You're strong," Billy affirmed.

"She's the strongest person I know," Jake kissed me on the forehead. I smiled.

"How long are you two planning on staying?" Charlie asked, sitting back down. I looked over at Jake. We hadn't really talked about that.

"We'll probably stay a few days. Apparently, Sam and Emily are finally tying the knot, so it looks like we'll be back. We'll have to bring the family with us for that one," Jake nudged.

"You should ask Sam first," I whispered. I didn't know if he wanted the whole Cullen clan all up in his business.

"It's fine," Jake whispered back. Billy just chuckled.

"Already arguing like an old married couple," he snickered. Charlie nodded in agreement.

"Well, I better get going. I'll leave you three to gossip," Charlie said, standing up. "It was really nice to see you two," he mentioned, hugging us both on the way out.

ATS ATS ATS

Things fell into place quickly, and it was like we never even left. We spent a lot of time with Billy, but we also went out. I was pretty much restricted to the reservation, since if I went into town people would know something was weird, but I was okay with it. Jake and I even crossed the river and went back to my old house. My family still owned it, for when we came back some day.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked once we stepped inside.

"It's so empty," I said, shocked. I didn't know what I was expecting, but it really hadn't been this.

"It's creepy," Jake agreed. "Do you want to see your bedroom or anything?" I shook my head.

"I think I'm okay," I sighed. I had my closure. We had been here for a few days, and I felt like I was finally ready to leave Forks for a little while.

"How many places have you lived?" Jake asked.

"Chicago, Portland, Denali, Forks, and Lebanon," I answered. "Forks is my favorite, though." I smiled, leaning into him.

"Why's that?" Jake asked as if he didn't know.

"I met this really cool guy here," I teased. "He's a pain in the ass most of the time, but he's mine, you know?"

"I think I do know," Jake teased back, smiling. "I met a pretty cool girl here too. She's a little weird though, she likes vampires and all that shit."

"Yeah, well my guy smells like wet dog all the time, ew," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Let's get out of here, vampire girl. I love you," he said as he pulled me closer. I kissed him and broke apart after a moment.

"I love you too, wolf boy," I smiled, and went back to kissing him.

We weren't leaving anytime soon.

 **A/N:** **That's a wrap! Again, thank you all so very much for your support throughout both Storming Sky and After the Storm. These are two stories I have absolutely loved writing so much, and I thank you for giving me the drive to make them happen. WITH THAT SAID, I have already started a new project in the Storming Sky universe, and that is JUST A MOMENT. Just a Moment is a story that is a series of one-shots from the SS universe. These will be missing moments, moments in another point of view, and even moments from the future. I want everyone who has ever enjoyed either Storming Sky or After the Storm to take a look - maybe even go back and re-read these stories - and let me know what you want to see. I will do my best to write as many of the one-shots you want as possible. BONUS: The first one shot for Just a Moment has already been posted :) Again, thank you all so much, and I hope you've enjoyed this ride as much as I have. Peace, Lexi.**


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